ZeroBen's Invincible Iron Man
by ZeroBen
Summary: Rebuilding Iron Man. Takes place in my own personal ZeroBen's Marvel Universe.
1. Blueprints Part I

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Iron Man or any related characters. It is all Marvel/Disney.**

**Intro: **I'm on a bit of an Iron Man kick now with the movie recently being released on DVD. So, this is born from the recent infatuation. Plus, there's not a lot of Iron Man comic-styled fics on here, either. So, with that all said, here is The Astonishing Iron Man. A reboot, of course. It's its own universe.

**The Astonishing Iron Man**

**Chapter 1- "Blueprints" Part I**

In the 1960's, a young twenty-something had a vision of the future. A vision that detailed how technology advanced so greatly that the world became a Utopia of sorts. His name was Howard Stark and he believed that perfection could be discovered as if it were a buried treasure. And, technology would be the tools needed to unearth said treasure.

In the late sixties, the vision began turning into reality. Howard Stark designed and built his own company from the ground up. All his ideas, inventive genius, creativity. It was all him. It all came from his brain. Every aspect, everything.

Stark Industries officially opened in 1972. Though, there were difficulties here and there and more than a few conflicts of interest, the business thrived and soon Howard Stark was a household name. Magazine publications, special television shows and radio broadcasts, personal appearances across the globe, etc.. Though it wasn't his initial intention, Howard Stark had become a legend.

At the end of the seventies, it had been announced by Howard that his Wife of fifteen years had become pregnant with their first child. Soon following, Howard informed the world that he had every intention of naming this child as the heir apparent to his throne. The following year, Anthony Edward Stark was born.

**Stark Tower...**

Before his death in 1992, Howard Stark had become involved in a project. Designs had been drawn-up for what would one day be called Stark Tower. His health had been declining, though. Had drastically ever since his wife, Maria, had passed away three years prior. So, the job was initially unfinished. However, little Anthony Stark took it upon himself to push along production.

Now, nearly twenty years later, Anthony - better known as Tony - was one of three occupants. The other two being his faithful butler, Jarvis, and his executive assistant, Ms. Pepper Potts.

"Okay, let me start off by saying that when I accepted this job, I understood there would be times that I would regret being Tony Stark's personal assistant. I- There would be days and nights when it would seem like the worst idea I've ever had. B-but Tony, this is too much. It's too far, lines have been crossed. I just cannot continue to be your assistant if I'm forced to put up w-with these... instances!"

Pepper Potts had stormed her employer's personal bedroom. Angry wasn't a strong enough word to convey her emotions in that moment. Limitless infuriation came to mind. Now, she wasn't entirely sure if that was even a word, but it was exactly how she felt at that point in time.

Groggy, still half-asleep, Tony slowly picked his head up off the pillow, grimacing as he did so, "Uhhh... good morning, Pepper."

"Good morning?" she was fuming, marching over to the bed and grabbing the comforter, pulling it off, "That's all you have to... oh my god!" she turned away, feeling humiliation that wasn't strong enough to crush the anger.

"Oh, wow, forgot she was there." Tony mumbled, swinging his legs off the bed while it was extremely apparent that there was a naked woman fast asleep on the other side. He yawned and rubbed his aching skull, not caring whatsoever that he was also completely naked, "What time is it?"

"Time for you to wake up, sober up and get these girls out of your home." she was very stern in her delivery.

"Girls?" plural.

"Yes." Pepper nodded aggressively, "Girls. Tony, this is unacceptable! There are three more downstairs right now in the kitchen, hassling Jarvis. The poor man is about to have a heart attack."

"He could use the excitement." Tony shrugged, wincing, "Loosen him up."

"You're unbelievable." Pepper threw a newspaper into Tony's lap.

Tony read the front page article aloud after a sniff, "Okay, whadda we got? Let's see... Don't know if you caught it, but last night Tony Stark brought new meaning to the term playboy. Along with four very beautiful but ultimately shameless young women, Tony was seen drunk in public, acting lewd and disrespectful to all around him. There was quite the scene at a club owned by him. In fact, it would be fair to mention that Tony Stark may be the very first club owner to ever be kicked out of his own establishment."

"Well, that's certainly an accomplishment." Tony commented with a bit of a sarcastic smile.

"It's not something to be proud of Tony." Pepper sighed, her anger fading somewhat, "Being an alcoholic isn't something to have pride in."

Tony finally grabbed a pair of pants and got dressed, grabbing the girl in his bed gently by the wrist and leading her practically still asleep form out of his bedroom, "See her out, please?"

Pepper just gave him a look before complying with his request. It went without saying, but he also wanted the others gone as well. Sadly, a practice that Pepper Potts was all too much used to.

The door closing, Tony Stark stood alone in his bedroom. Today was going to be a busy one. He had a very important meeting with the Chairman of Advanced Idea Mechanics, Obadiah Stane in regards to a partnership between the two companies. Not technically a merger. Simply a limited partnership. Tony was also due to meet with certain Military officials concerning a trip he would be taking to the Middle East tomorrow.

A new weapon had been designed by Tony Stark. One that would be tested tomorrow and then unveiled the following week in the United States. It was a missile dubbed The Jericho. It was highly dangerous. Of course, what would be the point of designing a be-all end-all missile if it wasn't highly dangerous? If all went according to plan, Tony Stark would become much richer than he already had. Which, in itself, seemed quite impossible.

He walked over to his dresser, and pulled out the bottom drawer, which turned out to be a cooler. A somewhat advanced one, but a cooler nonetheless. An assortment of drinks inside, all with a high level of alcohol. Tony took one out, flipping the lid and starting to sip. Following the first few, he could already feel a wave of relief wash over his body.

"Ah, liquid angels, take me to the heavens." Tony remarked humorously to himself while walking into his own personal bathroom, "Of course... assuming all that nonsense is real."

**Somewhere in the Middle East...**

It felt more of a bunker than anything else. At least, in the eyes and mind of Dr. Ho Yinsen. For the past nearly ten years, the elderly and frail man had been unwillingly working for a terrorist group called the Ten Rings. Their leader was a young man driven by hate, and deep pain. A man referring to himself as Mandarin.

Dr. Ho Yinsen no longer considered himself alive anymore. Though, he accepted that his soul hadn't passed on yet in the scheme of things. In his old life, Yinsen was a renowned Physicist and Engineer. Quite the inventive genius, garnering him slight comparisons to the late Howard Stark. He had become famous, a beloved individual across the globe. Then it all took a drastic and dangerous turn.

Dr. Yinsen had agreed to meet with people in the Middle East. Ironically, just before 9/11. He was abducted after the meeting. Taken to a cave where he was instructed that he was to co-operate or his loved ones would die. He did not believe their words, taking them for empty threats and bullying tactics. That could not have been any further from the truth, though. Days later, photographs were shown to Yinsen of his brother. Images detailing a brutal demise.

Since then, Yinsen had co-operated. He helped design special guns and vests for protection. He even aided in the designs of vehicles and other gear. His so loathed himself for aiding evil men. But, what choice did he have? All he could see in his mind was his wife and children suffering the same tragic fate as his brother. He couldn't risk it, their safety had to come first.

Yinsen laid on a broken cot, a pile of dirty rags for a pillow, a ripped burlap sack as a blanket. He knew how stupid it was, but it was the only shred of normalcy that he could cling to. His supposed bedroom; a cave with barely working lights and rotting food with dirty water.

"Up." a ragged voice demanded, a faint Asian accent within.

Yinsen picked himself up, legs swinging off the side of the makeshift bed. He said nothing, instead simply awaiting whatever it was that the leader of the Ten Rings wanted to say...

The man calling himself Mandarin stood tall wearing heavy militant clothes and gear, guns strapped to him along with other weapons as well. His bald head dirty and a bit burnt from the relentless sun outside. He stepped slowly towards his captive in an intimidating manner, towering over him, "Tomorrow, you have a room-mate."

"Who?"

"Anthony Edward Stark."

Yinsen laughed weakly, coughing and spitting up a bit after doing so, "Obviously, you are mistaken. There is no way that you could successfully..."

Mandarin leaned in close, whispering intently, "I took you. I stole you and I never gave you back. The same will happen to Stark."

"You under-estimate the security of wealth."

"My end-game has come. I have waited ten long years for tomorrow. And, I will wait another ten if that is what it takes to secure my goals. But, my goals will be reached. They will be recognized and felt throughout this entire world."

"If you do succeed, you will have quite the bargaining chip. You will..."

"No bargain." Mandarin dismissed, backing away, "That isn't what this is about. I have no intention of dealing Stark away. He will create my weapons." he held up his hand, wiggling his fingers, the tattoo of a ring upon each one, "And, after that, the world will witness his death."

Mandarin turned, making his exit, but was stopped by Yinsen calling out to him, "When you first took me, I asked you your name. You responded... Mandarin. I asked you why such a name. You then replied... You will tell me at the end. So, I ask you again... what is the significance of your name?"

Mandarin hesitated, then looked over his shoulder in a subtle manner. However, no answer was given.

**Later that afternoon, a restaurant...**

He had been drinking, but he was far from drunk. At least, according to him. Of course, Pepper Potts held a different view. The constant push and pull of Tony's supposed alcoholism had been its own demon to live through over the years. But, lately especially, it really seemed to be getting the best of him. She understood clearly why he drank so much. But still. He drank everyday. More often than not, he was drunk at all times. Not too sound to conceited, but Pepper truly wondered if he would even be able to handle running Stark Industries if not for her helping him.

Once upon a time, she was angry. Now, she was just sad. Over the years, Pepper had grown to see Tony as more than just her boss. It was breaking her heart to have a first row seat to his self destruction.

"There must be an alternative." Pepper mentioned in the back of the limousine, Stark's personal driver, Happy Hogan behind the wheel. They were just about to arrive at the restaurant where Tony Stark and Obadiah Stane would be conducting their meeting.

"You know why I do it." Tony sighed, not wanting to take this trip again.

"You're destroying yourself, Tony. Half the time, you're not even you. And, what about your health? How long until your liver shuts down?"

He wasn't in the mood for this, "That won't happen. You know why."

She just shook her head, looking out the window as the limousine stopped in front of the desired destination. He didn't see, didn't realize.

**Inside the restaurant...**

He was known by Tony Stark as Obie, though he preferred being called Obadiah. He was the Chairman of the Board at Advanced Idea Mechanics. It was a business that he personally started. It was inspired by his own admiration towards the great Industrialist Howard Stark, and his extreme dislike towards his own father, Zebediah Stane.

The company was to mirror Stark Industries in many ways. Though, there had always been a much more centered focus around the Military.

Obadiah was an older gentleman, though he was no senior citizen. He was closing in on fifty, but felt as though he were half that age. The past few years, he and Tony had developed a little friendship. They had even enjoyed the night life together a few times, though Stane was much more reserved than his younger counterpart. After all, Tony was barely thirty.

"There he is." Stane stood up from his seat at the table with a smile and hand stretched forward.

"How goes it, Obie?" they shook hands.

"Always good, Tony." he responded before greeting the assistant, "Ms. Potts, always a pleasure."

"Mr. Stane." she nodded.

He waved his hand, "Ugh, that makes me sound too old."

They all took a seat, Tony quickly ordering a drink, Pepper rolling her eyes.

"Where's Happy?" Stane wondered.

"Cruising for chicks, where else?" Tony chuckled, Obadiah following suit.

"Actually... he's running errands." Pepper cleared up.

"Tomorrow's big. Let's discuss." Tony placed the attention on himself.

"Tomorrow _is_ big, Tony." Obadiah agreed, "I know I've said this a dozen times, but it's gotta be perfect. I mean, we are on the brink here, Tony. You pull off that demonstration tomorrow, and we're going to be gold. Finally, Stark Industries and A.I.M. will be working together."

"You're worried." Tony casually remarked.

"I'm not..."

"Yes, you are. I can see it. It's like a Jedi thing, man. You're sweatin' it."

Obadiah smiled, "I just want everything perfect. We're taking a lot of heat for this partnership. For some reason, especially me. One thing goes wrong and it'll blow up in our face faster than we can blink."

Tony shook his head, "Don't be ridiculous. Nothing bad's going to happen."

Stane sighed, leaning forward on the table, his head in his hands before looking to Pepper, "See, this is why I'm worried." then he looked back to Stark, back to his future business partner, "You never take it seriously. You never..."

"What is this, National Hassle Tony day?" he couldn't believe he was hearing it from Obie now.

"Tony, you never take things seriously. And, lately..."

"Meeting adjourned." Tony stood up, ready to leave.

"Lately, you've been spiraling." Stane's words somewhat reminiscent of what Pepper was saying earlier. "Tough love time, Tony. You are an alcoholic. I've witnessed it first hand with my father, if you continue to..."

Tony stopped in his tracks, turned on his heels and angrily stepped to Obie, face to face, "You don't know me, _Obadiah_. You know my name, my face, how much money I have in the bank, but you don't know me. So, I'll say this one time and only one time... Don't fool yourself into believing you have me figured out. You don't. No one does. And, the only person in this entire world that comes anywhere close is _her_."

"You need help." Obadiah spoke calmly, though Tony was only getting irritated, "C'mon, you know you do."

"I thought this was a business meeting... not a god damn intervention."

"Hey, it is a business meeting. This is all about business."

"Yeah? Coulda fooled me."

"Listen, Tony. Last night was a prime example of not only bad press but unwanted press. Like I said, there's already a lot of heat on us. People don't trust us. They think Advanced Idea Mechanics and Stark Industries going into business together is one of the signs of the apocalypse. We have to make them trust us. And, the only way to do that is to keep our noses clean. Okay? We..."

Tony stopped him from saying anything else, "Tell you what... Talk to me after I ace the demonstration tomorrow, okay? Talk to me then, and tell me how much I'm spiraling."

With that, Tony took his leave, deciding on waiting outside until Happy rolled back around. Momentarily, Pepper started on her way out...

"Pepper." Obadiah only addressed Pepper Potts by her first name when something was very serious, "You got to rein him back in. You know as well as I do, last night cannot happen again. He's damn lucky it didn't end up costing him the demonstration."

"I know." Pepper nodded, "I know."

**The Middle East...**

Good things come to those who wait.

Patience will always be rewarded.

The man who called himself, Mandarin, thought of those phrases as he sat alone within the darkness of a cave, no illumination save for faint candlelight. The time was drawing nearer. The moment of truth was fast approaching, the moment that he had been waiting ten long years for. The moment when opportunity presented itself before him, beautiful and golden.

Anthony Edward Stark would be paying a visit tomorrow. He was scheduled to debut a new missile. An added strength in the war on terror. Little did he or anyone else know that there was something far worse than war awaiting his arrival. Destiny had called and Mandarin was prepared to answer.

Tomorrow, Mandarin would grab hold of Anthony Stark and refuse to let go until every drop of blood had bled from his dried corpse.

It was now only a matter of hours.

**Stark Tower...**

Tony Stark sat alone in the dark within the confines of his main office. He stared out the window into the night sky, the full moon shining so brightly. It really was beautiful to see, like a priceless piece of artwork had just leaped off of the page into the sky.

He thought about what happened last night. He thought about what Obadiah said earlier. He thought about all the things Pepper had been saying the past few years. He then glanced to the drink in his hand, the half-empty glass that was begging to be finished.

Tony wasn't stupid. He saw what everyone else did. He understood what they were saying. Yet, at the same time, he didn't consider himself an alcoholic. He didn't drink because he couldn't go without. No. He drank so much for a very specific reason. He drank near constantly because of an extremely rare disease that he had been suffering from since birth.

There was never a clinical term for the disease. As strange as it may seem, the disease was a curse as well as a gift. You see, Tony Stark had been born with a more than quadruple the amount of neural tissue in his body. In fact, it lined almost every inch of him. Which, essentially, meant that almost his entire body was part of his brain.

This supplied him with near constant pain. If he was stone-sober, it was excruciating.

However, at the same time, this strangely also gave him the ability of regeneration as well as making him a complete genius. In lamens terms, with brain cells spread throughout the entirety of his whole system, his body reacted to wounds by stitching them all by itself with nothing more than Tony thinking of healing. Thus, is why he never worried about his liver becoming too damaged.

Now, you would think that with being able to regenerate wounds, that getting drunk was out of the question. But, that was far from the case. It was if Tony's brain hated going through what it had to on a daily basis, and saw the alchohol much in the same light as Tony; as a means to escape the pain.

Taking him away from his thoughts were knocks at the door. He finished the last of his drink and set the glass down on his desk as the door opened, revealing a long-time friend by the name of James Rhodes...

Tony sighed, sitting back in his chair, "I'm telling ya right now, man, if this is about me changing my lifestyle, you can turn your ass right back around 'cause I'm not in the mood."

James 'Rhodey' Rhodes just chuckled as he approached.

James Rhodes was better known as Lt. Rhodes of the United States Marine Corps. He was also Liason between the United States Military and Stark Industries. Not to mention a personal friend of Tony's since way back in grade school. They bonded over both of them being hassled by bullies. The friendship stuck ever since.

Rhodey stood in front of the desk, "I just came here to make sure everything's full speed ahead for tomorrow."

Tony nodded.

"Of course, when I got here, Pepper told me about what happened earlier."

Stark sighed, pointing to the exit, "There's the door."

"Tony, listen, I get it, okay? I know why you do it. But, there's got to be a better way. I mean... you're a bonified genius and you can't come up with a better way to deal with the pain?"

"Was that an insult or a compliment? I'm not sure." Tony quipped, skirting around the issue.

"Seriously, Tony."

"Look..." Tony sat up in his chair, "... I've said this before - which obviously means I have to say it again - Contrary to popular belief, I have everything under control. I am under control. Which means I am not out of control."

"Your behavior has people nervous." Rhodes explained clearly, "Specifically, certain people that you do not want to be making nervous."

Tony shook his head, "Well, when they have a painful disease that inflicts them, then I'll re-evaluate my actions that make them nervous."

Rhodey sighed. This was going nowhere. Of course, that wasn't a shock. Nevertheless, there was tomorrow to be concerned with, "Let's just go over the schedule for tomorrow so we're both clear."

"Okay."

"I'm going to be meeting you at the base at exactly 0900 hours."

"That's 9pm, right?"

"Actually... 9am."

"Oh, my bad."

Rhodey grumbled under his breath, his head dropping down before he continued, "Alright, from there we..."

_**THE ASTONISHING IRON MAN**_

And the first chapter is done. Really quick, I want to point out something. I went a little over my head with the explanation of Tony having neural tissue throughout his body. My excuse is, I wanted to include the idea so bad (it comes from Ultimate Iron Man) that I didn't think it through as much as I should. But, I love the idea and I just think it adds more to the character rather than just having him be an alcoholic with no decent reason behind it.


	2. Blueprints Part II

**The Astonishing Iron Man**

**Chapter 2- "Blueprints" Part II**

The moment of truth.

Surprising even himself, Tony was able to make it to the base before 9am. Even Rhodey was shocked that he made it there on time. The trip to the Middle East was entirely too long and consisted of multiple parts by plane and then a Humvee ride to the location. The whole ride there, Tony was as silent as could be. He hadn't drank a drop since last night before falling asleep. By the time he got out of the shower this morning, he was one hundred percent sober. He knew because the pain had returned.

He wanted another drink badly, but Pepper had discouraged him from doing so. She made him promise that he wouldn't take a single sip at least until the demonstration was finished. He gave her his word.

In his suit and tie, sunglasses on, hair in place, goatee just so, he was ready to begin. He stood at the edge of a cliff that overlooked a significant canyon. The sun was brutally beating down, not helping his already painful disposition. A crowd of business men and military personnel watched quietly, awaiting his words. Tony was hoping that Rhodey could have been present, but he was helping to secure a safe perimeter in case of an attack.

"Ladies and gentleman, war is a very bad thing. There's no two ways around it. It is what it is. But, at the same time, it's not going to go away. We, as people, need to accept it as a part of our lives. No more than the loud thunderstorms and different diseases that plague us. Yes, they suck. But, what can we do?"

"With that said, with accepting war as part of our lives, we must all realize that it is imperative that we win the battles. Actually, let me say that again. Battles... aren't important. Little victories, while good, aren't important in the larger scheme of things. You see, we should be less concerned with little victories and more concerned with winning the big one."

"We are the United States of America, god damn it, and I personally think it's about time that we start acting like the super-power that we are. It's time that we win the big one by dropping the big one. And that big one is this..."

Behind the spectators, a large tarp was pulled off of an even larger missile...

"The closest thing I will ever have to a son... let me introduce the Jericho!"

The fuse was lit and the missile took flight. Once it was a safe range away, tiny little rockets started shooting from it. This all resulted in a massive explosion and an even greater round of applause from the audience watching this display.

"I do believe the correct term here is... boo-yah!"

A success. Everyone took their turn in congratulating Stark. The last individual being an Army General by the name of Thaddeus E. Ross. He was known by his imposing tall stature and that push-broom mustache of his.

"Excellent work, Stark." the General's gravelly voice.

"Ah, General, thanks for the compliment." Tony already had a drink in hand and had downed half of the glass.

"I was skeptical considering your recent exploits."

"What can I say, Thunderbolt?" a nickname Tony had taken a liking to calling General Ross, "I live fast and loose, but all the while keeping my eyes on the prize."

"What's this I hear about Stark Industries and Advanced Idea Mechanics going into business together?"

"It is what it is." Stark responded casually, feeling the alcohol take effect, "Obie's been good to me over the years."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. would treat you better, Stark." Thaddeus stated confidently, "Neither I, nor anyone else even remotely affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D. trusts that man."

"So, uhh... how goes your daughter?" Tony smirked, knowing this would irritate the General, "Not still joined at the hips with that Banner kid, I hope? High School kids, though? What can ya do?"

"Ha-ha. Always a riot, Stark." the General dryly responded before turning to make his leave, "Remember what I said about Stane. Do not trust that man."

"Duly noted." Stark raised his glass. Actually, it was his second one.

Well... another day, another dollar. Tony stood around for the obligatory snapshots and handshakes. But, once the excitement had calmed down, he was ready to head back home. On his way to the Humvee, he took out his cellphone and called up Pepper...

"Hey, beautiful." his greeting.

"I'm assuming you upheld your promise?"

"Yeah, yeah." Tony sighed, boarding the Humvee, "Sober as a stone before the dynamite went boom."

"Good."

"Anyway, I'm on my way back now. For some reason, I'm feeling something cheese-related for dinner. Let Jarvis know?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

"Oh, that is so hot when you call me that. I love it. Say it one more time."

"Goodbye, Tony."

"Maybe she'd co-operate more if I gave her a raise?" Tony mentioned to himself while putting his phone away.

A few miles down the otherwise deserted road was where the ride officially stopped. The next thing Tony knew, there was an explosion from underneath the vehicle, throwing it into the air where it flipped and landed on its roof. The pain was absolutely mind-bending, as Tony Stark was stuck there, upside-down, bleeding. Desperate to escape this unexpected danger, he did his best to ignore the pain and crawled out of the Humvee onto the dirt and sand.

There was screaming, bullets whizzing by, and fires in different spots. Before he could react, he heard a familiar whistle cut through the atmosphere and impact the vehicle he had just crawled out of. The force knocked him back as he felt something pierce his chest. It was the worst pain he had ever felt. Nothing had ever hurt like this before. Nothing. He tried to move, but he couldn't. In fact, he could barely breathe.

Moments later, his eyelids slowly closed and he was gone.

**Underground...**

When Tony Stark finally woke up, he found himself on a makeshift cot in some god-forsaken workshop. No, it was more like a cave? Where the hell was he? Slowly sitting up, he remembered what happened. There were explosions. Someone had attacked the caravan.

"You are remarkable, Mr. Stark." an old voice spoke, belonging to a meek and mild elderly man wearing spectacles.

Before he realized who was talking, Tony discovered another interesting development. There was some kind of device inserted into his chest. A power source of some kind. He wasn't quite sure just what yet, though.

"Wh..." Tony started coughing before he could say anything else.

"Rest." the man approached calmly, "Another thirty minutes and we will be paid a visit. You will need your strength."

"I... I know you." Stark muttered, laying back, trying to clear the cobwebs, "Can't... remember, though."

"Dr. Ho Yinsen." the man replied with a pleasant smile, feeling fleeting pride in being recognized by such a recognizable man.

"Wh-what's... this?" he gestured to the device on his chest.

"During the attack, your chest was pierced by shrapnel. I was able to extract most of it, but there are two more large pieces dangerously close to your heart. I'm afraid, further operation is impossible. That device is acting as a magnet."

"I can heal." his voice returned to normal, as did some of his strength as he sat back up, realizing the device in his chest was hooked to a battery.

"You have neural tissue throughout your body?" Yinsen wondered, "I discovered some while performing the procedure. A procedure that I was nearly unable to complete due to drastic regeneration. Your wounds heal themselves?"

Sadly, the wounds were healing around the shards of metal, rather than pushing them out.

Tony was prepared to answer when yet another startling realization made itself known. He felt no pain. For the first time that he could remember, he felt absolutely no pain. He looked at the device now implanted into his chest with a look of wonder, "The pain's gone."

Before anything else could be said between the two, the door to this workshop opened with a loud thud and in walked the dreaded terrorist group known only as the Ten Rings. All armed to the hilt, their leader stood front and center, confronting Tony Stark.

"You are Tony Stark. Perhaps, the greatest and most historic mass-murderer of many generations. In a sense, I am honored."

"Why am I here?"

"You are going to build something." their leader, Mandarin, held up his hands, showing the tattoos of rings on his fingers, "Something that is destined to be mine."

"What?"

"My weapons." Mandarin spoke, "My rings."

Yinsen took the initiative to explain further, "Legend tells of an ancient species that came before the age of the Dinosaurs. One that many texts fail to speak of, because it is not understood. Therefore, casted aside as nothing more than fiction. An ancient species called... The Makluan."

"If the legends are indeed true, then it would seem that the Makluan were technologically advanced in an age where technology wasn't yet invented. The greatest of their stories - and one that holds some weight in reality - is the one detailing their most coveted creation."

"The Ten Rings." Mandarin finished, growing impatient, "Ten rings that held immense power. For generations, they were guarded closely, though never used. Regrettably... Before my time, they were lost."

"You want me to duplicate a design of these rings." Stark concluded. "I'm assuming that these rings are supposed to have some kind of special powers?" Stark continued.

"You need only design them." Mandarin explained, "You have seven days."

**:::Day One:::**

Tony sat at a desk, looking at all these different supplies and a few blueprints that had been drawn. He was at a loss. How the hell could he pull this off? How the hell would he not only be able to design and build super-powered rings, but also make it possible for this Mandarin to control them at will?

Before Tony had even realized, three quarters of the day was erased in seemingly the blink of an eye.

"Time is of the essence." Yinsen reminded from his seat next to Stark.

Tony should have been in bad shape. His body should have been crippled in pain. He should have felt drained and completely exhausted by this point. Yet, he didn't at all. Granted, he didn't necessarily feel good, considering his current predicament, but there was zero pain.

"This device..." Tony spoke, "... It's like the energy from it is giving the extra tissue in my body the greatest massage possible. I... I don't know how to thank you."

"Thanks isn't..."

"No." Tony disagreed, "This is backwards; You're the genius. I've just been hanging on to my father's tail ever since he died."

"That cannot be true." Yinsen's turn to disagree, "You have prized inventions. For instance, the Jericho."

Tony nodded.

"You are held in high regard throughout the Ten Rings and their partnering groups." Yinsen explained, much to the chagrin of Tony Stark, "Your weapons have inflicted death all across the globe. If you weren't a genius, the Mandarin would not have chosen you. As crude as it may sound, you should feel honored in being selected by him."

"Ten Rings." Tony paced, holding onto the battery his magnet was hooked to, "How am I supposed to do this? I mean... It's impossible."

"Howard Stark once believed that nothing is impossible."

Tony sighed, his head dropping. At the moment, he didn't want to think of his father.

"No, Yinsen, it IS impossible. How do I make a ring generate fire? Ice? Control someone's mind?"

"That part is already taken care of." Yinsen was a step-ahead.

Tony was intrigued.

"Magic."

"Magic?"

"Magic, Stark. Magic."

**:::Day Two:::**

Dr. Ho Yinsen and Anthony Stark sat across from each other at a table filled with different spare parts.

"It's the only way this can possibly work." Tony explained his idea, "These rings have to be connected to gauntlets he would wear on his hands and wrists. The only hitch is... powering them. But, as long as we can re-design this lil' doohicky here, we'd be all set." he tapped softly on the device in his chest.

"The blueprints are settled, then?"

**:::Day Three:::**

"Don't be sad for me, Stark. I will see my family again, one day. I am sure of it."

Tony had listened to Yinsen's story as he worked on his project for Mandarin. The story was sad. Yinsen was a man of many triumphs and accolades. He had risen from the deep sea of poverty to become one of the greatest minds, period. He had a vast majority of inventions and other creations that were helping the world. He had said how the Mandarin had captured him, and how he didn't dare go against his wishes out of fear that his family may be slaughtered.

Tony raised his right arm. The prototype gauntlet had been completed. Save for powering the rings. It took some feverishly paced working through the day, but progress had definitely been made. He ran a cable from the gauntlet to the magnet in his chest. As he figured, it worked. Though, the charge wasn't much. But, if a more suitable and energized core could be created, then everything would be perfect.

"A shame." Yinsen commented cryptically, gazing upon the gauntlet.

"Hmm?" Tony wondered.

"Another great creation from the mind of Tony Stark..." Yinsen explained, "... To be used as a weapon of mass destruction."

Tony scoffed, "With all due respect, Yinsen; What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Your greatest inventions are deadly inventions." Yinsen's words struck a chord.

Tony glared at the elderly man, "My back's against a wall here."

"You would rather save yourself than spare the lives of countless others?"

"Where is this coming from?" Tony was becoming angry, "Look, okay, you have no idea how appreciative and downright grateful I am of what you've done for me." referring to the chest piece, "But, your attitude just did a 180, and I'm seriously not in the mood for it. Am I saving my own skin? You're god damn right I am."

"A new lease on life, a chance to start over... and you're squandering it?"

What in the world was this guy's problem? Tony rolled his eyes and turned in the opposite direction, an obvious gesture to inform his fellow prisoner that he didn't want to hear another word.

"The very second that you hand over a completed prototype, he will decimate you with it." Yinsen persisted.

"Okay, okay, what is this?" Stark turned back around, "What's with this hopping the fence? This you jumping on my back all of a sudden?"

Before anything else could be spoken between the two of them, the door was opened abruptly just before the entirety of the Ten Rings entered the makeshift laboratory. Per the usual, Mandarin was at the head of the pack, quickly approaching Stark...

"Progress." Tony gestured to the contraption on his right arm.

"I am not concerned nor receptive of progress. My only desire is completion." Mandarin's words were slow and deliberate, the tone and speed of his speech meant to be intimidating.

Couldn't at least one person ride along with him smoothly down the waters, rather than rocking the boat at every chance? Tony stood firm, though he truly was in no position to do so, "I'm doing the best I can. Ten rings that are super-powered are an incredible achievement. I mean, truly incredible. It won't happen overnight."

"Do not attempt to push me around, Stark." Mandarin warned, "I hold the power here."

Tony was frustrated, tired, aggravated, annoyed, and suddenly finding himself wanting a few drinks, despite feeling no physical pain whatsoever, "No! You know what, I hold the power. I hold..."

Mandarin ripped the cables out of Stark's magnet in his chest, causing the genius to collapse to his knees, gasping for breath and feeling a horrendous amount of pain filling him all at once.

"Letting him die accomplishes nothing." Yinsen boldly stood up for Tony.

Mandarin hooked the cables back to the device in Tony's chest. Then proceeded to squat down to a knee to be eye-level with him, "Finish this project, or I finish you."

"What... what will you do with them?" Stark could barely speak clearly, struggling as the pain began to fade.

Mandarin stood tall, casting an intense stare down to the broken man beneath him, "What needs to be done."

**:::Day Four:::**

Yinsen woke from a sleep to find Tony Stark working on something that very much did not resemble what he had first explained.

It was a full iron glove. Metallic gray in its color. And this time, it was part of an entire arm. It was currently resting on Tony's right arm.

"What are you doing?" Yinsen asked.

Tony disregarded the question, opting for a slightly different subject, "Tell me about this magic. I... design the rings, make them functional, but... the powers are actually magic? Assuming that's correct and actually possible within the realm of reality... how does it happen? Why not just conjure up the old ones?"

"Consider what you're designing to be a shell. Containers for the magic to rest inside and wait for command."

"There's some sort of spell involved?" Tony was focused on his work, picking up a hammer and going to town on another piece of metal.

"Yes, Mandarin has a spell ready."

"Hmm..." Tony picked up another piece and started welding it to the one he had just worked on, "... Sounds to me, like this is a guy that really shouldn't be in control of so much power."

Yinsen sighed, "That would be an understatement."

"Right."

"This is a radically different approach." Yinsen gestured to Tony's work as he approached the table.

"It's not for the rings."

"No?"

"No."

"Stark..."

"Look, I don't have much of a taste for humble pie, but I'll eat it when I have to." Stark said, "What you said before is starting to make some real sense to me. This Ten Rings group is dangerous and murderous. Whether they kill me or not, I'm not going to be helping them. But, at the same time, I'm not going down without a fight."

"What are you making?"

"You'll see." Tony smirked somewhat.

**:::Day Five:::**

Pepper Potts sat in Tony's darkened office, right at his desk. Rhodey had told her to not lose faith, and that if Tony had indeed been abducted, that there would be no point in just killing them. Keeping that in mind, he also said that the right people were willing to bargain with the kidnappers to bring Tony back home.

However, Pepper doubted that. Tony must have been going out of his mind if he wasn't drinking. The pain must have been absolutely excruciating. She never realized until now, just how much she cared for him. All that time before, she tried and failed at picturing her life without him. She dreamt of finally having freedom, no longer needing to deal with the bullshit she dealt with on a daily basis.

But, now? Now, it hurt like hell to think like that. To truly envision her life without her employer.

She picked up her cell phone, wondering that maybe if she stared at it long enough, that it would ring. Tony would be on the other end claiming how it was all a prank. Then she would get angry, he would laugh, and she would threaten to quit. He would then threaten to fire her. They'd stomp away from each other and start it all over the next day.

A vicious cycle. But one that Pepper never realized until now that she found to be quite comfortable.

**:::Day Six:::**

Less than twenty-four hours away. Less than twenty-four hours before Mandarin and his gang barged back into the room and gave their final grade on whatever it was that Tony had completed.

Working at a feverish pace, Tony and Yinsen were nearly done. So close, yet it felt so far away. The two of them had created something that was extremely unlike what Mandarin had in mind. And they worked alongside the fear that if the leader of the Ten Rings entered that room at the wrong moment, that they would be executed right then and there.

It wasn't rings. It was a suit of armor. It was big, gray and bulky. If all went according to plan, the chest piece within Tony would put forth enough energy to power this suit and ensure freedom for he and Yinsen. All the while, making the Mandarin and his Ten Rings very much a non-factor in the near and distant future.

"This is noble." Yinsen commented, gazing upon the invention, "This is something your father would be proud of."

"Did you ever meet him?" Stark had to wonder, "I mean... the way you talk about him..."

"Yes." the short answer, followed by a recap, "He once traveled to my country. We met. I invited him to a dinner with my family and we dined."

Tony nodded, feeling some sadness at the loss of his father at such an early age in his life.

"I did not know him better than most. But, what I did know of him... I know... he would be proud of you."

Tony sniffed, grabbing a wrench, "Thanks. That actually... That actually means a lot."

**:::Day Seven:::**

"You mean to tell me he's actually going to be here in exactly three minutes?"

"Now, two minutes and fifty-three seconds. Fifty-two. Fifty-one."

"Okay, okay, okay!" Tony's voice was panicked, "Help me into this thing and start the process."

It was the proverbial eleventh hour for Tony Stark and Dr. Yo Hinsen. In mere minutes, the Mandarin and his Ten Rings would enter, expecting those powered rings to be ready to be placed upon his fingers and hands. Oh, how angry he will be.

"Alright." Tony Stark was now inside of the suit and Yinsen was quickly sweeping his fingers across a keyboard.

"The powering has started but it's going slower than we anticipated." Yinsen's voice quivered, "My god, we don't have enough time."

"Damn it!" unbelievably, as if part of some major motion picture, it was all coming down to the last second.

"I will buy you some time, Stark." Yinsen grabbed a stray sharp piece of metal and a heavy wrench, prepared for battle.

"Yinsen, no." Stark disagreed with the plan, "They'll tear you apart. We have to stick together here, it's our only chance."

"We have twenty seconds and the process is at only fifty percent." Yinsen's mind was made up.

"Yinsen!" Stark exclaimed as the old man left the room, surprising the guard standing watch and then stealing his gun away.

"C'mon, c'mon..." sixty percent.

Tony could hear the gunfire and screaming. Yinsen was effectively stirring up a hornet's nest. And, as promised, buying Stark some much needed time.

Seventy percent.

The beads of sweat ran down Tony's face as if a bucket of water had been dumped on his head.

Eighty percent.

Stark heard a painful scream. It was Yinsen. He then heard the Mandarin's voice yelling in a different language.

Ninety percent.

The Mandarin appeared in the doorway, face screwed in anger and disgust. Fists clenching so tightly that blood dripped from them. He was quaking, furious.

"You dare defy the Mandarin?"

One-Hundred percent...

_**THE ASTONISHING IRON MAN**_

Chapter two is in the books. I do believe this may be a record for me. I actually got another chapter out on time, and we are on schedule. Anyways, I wasn't quite sure how to go about this. I didn't want his captivity time going on for too long. So, I compressed it. I know it's a little too Iron Man Movie, but it is what it is. And, hopefully, you guys accept my idea of the Mandarin needing Stark to build these rings because the originals are either gone or simply lost. And you also accept that these rings wouldn't be powered without magic.

My Mandarin isn't the scientific or intellectual genius he is in the comics, but I have a reason for that.


	3. Blueprints Part III

**The Astonishing Iron Man**

**Chapter 3- "Blueprints" Part III**

One-hundred percent power...

The man calling himself Mandarin was knocked back several feet through the cave by a loud and thunderous burst of energy. It was as if he had been punched all over his body at one single moment.

"Wow, it actually worked!" Tony laughed, realizing just how preposterous it was for him to do so in such a dire situation.

Slowly but surely, with Tony inside controlling everything, the iron suit walked out of the workshop and out into what resembled a main hall. Not much light at all, save for torches here and there. As expected, there were a bunch of Mandarin's men all standing ready with their weapons in hand.

"Let's see if this works too." Stark remarked to himself just before a batch of flames erupted from the suit, scaring away the majority of the men. A couple brave souls stayed behind, firing their weapons, staring in shock with their jaws dropping as it became painfully obvious that the bullets did nothing more than make tiny dings and dents.

"YINSEN? WHERE ARE YOU?" Stark roared as he took out a couple more men, then another by swinging his fist.

He turned a corner and found the elderly man bleeding from a number of bullet wounds in his abdomen and shoulder...

"Don't... stop... now." Yinsen barely choked those words out.

"I'm not leaving you behind." Tony was adamant, "There's no way."

"I... want... this." Yinsen spit up blood.

"I'm getting you out of here." Tony began reaching...

"No!" Yinsen coughed more blood, "Leave me. Just... remember... what... we... tal..."

He was gone.

"I'll remember." Tony stood tall in the suit.

More yelling, he turned just in time to narrowly dodge a rocket being blasted his way. It destroyed the wall behind him and threatened to drop this whole cave down on everyone inside. Tony retaliated with another blast, knocking the man back through a different wall.

An eery calm, a quiet that couldn't be trusted. Tony could literally feel the suit's power supply dwindling, as well as what resided within the chest piece. There was pain slowly returning to him. He had to move fast, or he wouldn't be able to do anything.

Two more of the Ten Rings from either side. Luckily, their bullets simply ricocheted off of the suit and hit them on target. Another one ahead of him. Tony used another energy blast to take him and someone that was fast approaching out of the equation.

Pushing forward, he reached the exit of the cave. But, there was Mandarin with some kind of modified grenade launcher. If memory served Tony right, it was one developed by Obadiah's Advanced Idea Mechanics. Tony prepared for another blast of energy, but discovered that his power-level was no longer sufficient. If he used it then, he may run out before he could get away.

Mandarin was in bad shape. He couldn't stand straight, some of his gear was torn and tattered. Not to mention, he was bleeding from a wound on his forehead. Yet, despite all of that, he still held onto his weapon with what little strength remained.

"A grave mistake, Stark." Mandarin spoke, spitting blood, revealing internal injuries, "But, I am fair. I am giving you one last chance. Create my weapons and your life and the ones of those who you care deepest for will be spared."

"Not happening." Stark defied him, "Face it, Mandarin. I'm the hero here, and you're the villain. Villains never win."

Mandarin unleashed an almost feral yell as he pulled the trigger.

However, Tony pulled a trigger of his own and ended up launching himself into the atmosphere.

Of course, the grenade missed completely and ended up destroying the entrance to the cave.

Mandarin cursed and threw his weapon to the ground as he helplessly watched Tony Stark spiral into the blue sky above. He tipped forward, catching himself with his hand before falling to the ground. He spat another wad of thick crimson, before a devious grin crept across his bloody lips...

There was one final option.

**Meanwhile...**

There was only enough power left to basically fling Stark high into the air. He couldn't sustain flight, could not hover, could not anything else. Therefore, he dropped like a rock roughly two dozen miles away from the cave. It was far from the smoothest trip that the Owner of Stark Industries had ever taken. Sadly, not the bumpiest either.

Once he landed, the pain was by far some of the most intense sensations he had ever experienced. Parts of his skin were burnt to a crisp, his arms and legs were broken. His spine had taken injuries as well. But, there was that healing factor. He had never dared to subject himself to such an enduring trial before, but it was good to know that it would return him home just about from the door-step of death.

Tony painfully pulled himself away from the broken armor. It had served its purpose greatly. Once completely out of it, he crawled a few feet away in the sand. He fell flat against it, catching a batch in his mouth. He rolled onto his now healed back and tapped gently on the device in his chest. The power was just about depleted entirely. He could feel a very sharp pain moving through his chest towards his heart at an agonizing pace.

With nothing more than an occasional buzz of power remaining, Tony knew he was in deep trouble. As far as the pain, it was being held in check. But, it wouldn't be long before it came back in full-effect. Not to mention the shards of shrapnel lodged within.

Weary, hurting, yet feeling victorious, Tony picked himself up and staggered through the sand, gasping for deep breaths...

Maybe an hour or two later, when he could do nothing but crawl, Tony's eyes and expression lit up as a plane soared overhead, followed by a helicopter. Not long after that, there was Rhodey in his military gear, standing there like some kind of guardian angel.

"Tony!" Rhodey rushed over to his friend, slipping beneath an arm, "Jesus, don't worry, we're gonna get you fixed up."

Tony shook his head, pointing weakly to the chest piece, "I need... I need... power."

"Holy sh... What is that?"

**Back Home...**

_"This just in; Tony Stark has returned! In a joyous occasion, the Owner of Stark Industries is back home. Mr. Stark explained that he was abducted by a terrorist organization calling themselves the Ten Rings. While all the details are a bit blurred at this point, Mr. Stark has gone on record to saying it is his firm belief that the only remaining member is their leader; A man referring to himself as the Mandarin. More on this as it breaks. But, on behalf of all of us here at MSNBC... Welcome back, Tony Stark."_

Currently, Tony was hard at work in his own laboratory. His own little workshop. The chest piece which he now officially dubbed his power cell, was back in action thanks to a battery boost. However, it wouldn't last long. He was in the midst of creating his own and coming damn close to completing it. It wouldn't be the be-all end-all that he strived for, but it would do the trick for now.

Speaking of... _for now_; The corporate media, entertainment media, and all other facets, were supremely irritated with him at the moment. They wanted interviews. They wanted stories. They wanted to know his struggle, how he survived, how he escaped. They wanted the supposed juicy details.

Tony gave them nothing but scraps to merely wet their appetite.

He told them that he had escaped because he was lucky. He told them that there was only one left because of an accident on their part. He then explained that as far as he was concerned, the entire situation was behind him. He wanted to move forward with his life. And, one of those things that he wanted to move forward with was no longer producing weapons. Yes, Stark Industries would no longer produce weapons of any kind whatsoever.

"You changed."

Tony looked over his shoulder for a brief moment before returning to his work. His assistant, Pepper Potts, had entered the scene.

"My clothes? Yeah, call me crazy, but I was in the mood."

"No." Pepper approached the table, "Your whole... I don't know... aura. Your demeanor. Tony, this is new. This is the new you."

"Sounds like a line from an Infomercial."

"No, c'mon, I'm serious." Pepper pressed, "I want to talk about this. I want to talk about the new Tony Stark."

"There isn't much to talk about." Tony reached for a pair of tiny pliers, "I just... see things differently now."

Pepper nodded, taking a seat, "How did you escape?"

Tony went silent.

"And what about that thing?" she pointed to his chest, "How does it work? And why doesn't your body just push the shrapnel out?"

"As far as I can tell... it's healing around it." Tony explained, still working, "And, when the cell went dead for awhile, the pieces broke while my body tried to heal. Which, I know, sounds like it should be a good thing. But, it's not. It just multiplied the dangers."

"I don't understand. I mean... if your body is able to heal itself..."

"If I was to be impaled..." a bit gruesome, but it was the clearest picture he could paint, "... My body wouldn't heal right until whatever it was that impaled me... was pulled out."

"Like ear piercings." Pepper remarked.

"Any piercings, for that matter."

"So, how did you escape?"

"You're not gonna let that one go, are you?"

Pepper simply shook her head with a soft smile.

"It's like I told everyone else..." he didn't want to get into it, "... I just... got lucky."

Pepper sighed, not satisfied with that answer. Why wouldn't he admit it to her? Her, of all people? What was it that was holding him back? What exactly happened over there in that cave that he was now so secretive about?

"You know, to be honest, I'm shocked you haven't praised me on the drinking issue." Tony commented, putting the finishing touches down on his personal design of the power cell.

Tony hadn't drank a drop since returning home.

"I'm very happy about that." Pepper smiled in a subtle manner, "It's been so nice being able to talk to you without you stomping away or passing out. Or sexually harassing me every waking moment." she chuckled...

Tony did too.

Then came a quiet little moment between the two.

"Anyways..." a breath from Pepper, breaking the silence, "... I need to schedule two meetings."

"Ugh, work." Tony groaned in a humorous tone, "... I'll do it tomorrow."

"No." Pepper took out a small notepad and pen, "Director Fury and Obadiah."

"I'm dreading talking with Obadiah." which he honestly was, "On the flipside, Fury's an arrogant prick."

Pepper tried to hide a smirk.

Tony pointed, "Hey, don't even say it. This isn't the pot calling the kettle black."

"If you say so."

**Elsewhere...**

On foot, he had been traveling for days. Exhaustion, hunger, dehydration, slight dementia, pain; They had all settled into his skin and bones. He was a weary mess, a mere shadow of his former self. All courtesy of that damned Anthony Stark. Curse him! Curse him and everyone around him! He had ruined everything. Destroyed it. Annihilated it and stepped on the ashes and rubble, practically wiping it from the face of existence itself.

"The tomb shall unearth only for those who seek it."

Mandarin repeated those words through a mumbling as he staggered and stumbled through the sands and swirling winds with the sunset illuminating the background behind him. It had taken every ounce of strength, every fiber of his being, every tiny particle of his soul, to push forward as far as he had. It was quite the amazing feat, considering just how drained he really was.

Arriving at a particular spot, Mandarin dropped to his knees, mouth gaped open, eyes merely slits, blood crusting on his lips and face. He weakly stretched his arms, unable to hold them up, and leaned back.

Barely able to muster up enough volume to have his voice be heard, he spoke in a foreign tongue unrecognized by nearly all of the world...

Suddenly, a rumbling came from beneath the ground, quaking the earth. Then came an ancient structure birthing from the sand, towering over Mandarin. It was like a cross between an ancient Chinese temple and something reminiscent of ancient Egypt. There were markings and scripture along the walls. Also, a doorway at the front.

Mandarin crawled forward, various torches around the structure igniting themselves. He moved past the open doorway and along the halls on his hands and knees. Despite just erupting from underground, everything within and even on the outside as well, was in immaculate condition. No dust or dirt, save for the bits and fragments that fell from Mandarin's body.

He reached a solid door and picked himself up to a vertical base...

"I beg you..." his voice no higher than a whisper, "... Take me in. I have nothing. I am... nothing."

The door didn't open.

"No..." he cried, head falling against the door, eyes unable to shed tears, "... Damn him! Damn you, Stark!"

Mandarin's fists clenched, fingernails digging at the raw flesh from injuries sustained at the hands of Tony Stark. His teeth gritted against each other, lips curled in anger.

"I want him dead!" Mandarin painfully shouted, "But, not before he watches his loved ones suffer before his very eyes!"

The door slid open, accompanied by a low rumble.

Mandarin fell to the ground, graciously gazing upon the scene before him. What a sight it was. Truly, a criminally unknown wonder to the world. Riches of all kinds littered the square room as a humongous and decadent chandelier hung from the center. Below it, a golden statue with sparkling teeth and eyes. It was a statue of a very large dragon.

Mandarin crept slowly to the center of the room, climbing up a set of stairs where the middle was raised. He then moved to the statue, touching it with quivering hands, looking at it through tired eyes. For the first time in days, he could feel his heartbeat return to normal as adrenaline began flowing through his veins.

_"Who are you?"_

"Mandarin." he spoke back to the ghostly voice that seemed to swirl around the room.

_"What do you seek?"_

"The aid of the dragon."

_"For what purpose?"_

"Vengeance."

**Stark Tower...**

It was late at night. How late, Tony didn't really care. All that was currently occupying his mind as he sat alone in his lab was what Yinsen had said to him in that cave. How all his inventions were weapons bringing death. How they were used and loved by evil people with horrible plans on how to make use of them. How it was a shame that Tony didn't create something more useful.

That suit was useful. And, not to brag, but those Ten Rings didn't stand a chance whatsoever against it. None of them, not even their dreaded leader. Imagine using it against not only threats worldwide, but criminals of all different walks of life. Imagine that suit of armor becoming a sort of soldier. If he could create one in a dark, dank and damp cave... Imagine the kind of machine he could develop with the resources at his fingertips in his very own home?

What if he duplicated it? No, what if he made it better? A sleeker design, a more sufficient power supply, better energy distribution, perhaps even a Heads-Up Display? Imagine the possibilities.

He could do it. With just what was inside his lab right then and there, he could pull it off. He could create a suit of armor. Of course, what would he do with it then?

The most obvious was becoming a hero of some kind. Saving people, putting the bad guys away. But, that was crazy talk, wasn't it? What if it wasn't crazy talk, though? What if it worked? What if Tony could realistically build that suit of armor and then go out into the world, righting wrongs, helping people, making the world not only a safer place, but a better place altogether?

"I have an idea."

This was certainly crazy, but he was going to start on a new project. First things first, he replaced the power cell Yinsen had created with one of his own design. Burned a little brighter, a little longer, a little better.

"Okay." Stark clapped his hands together, "Let's get this show on the road."

**Elsewhere...**

"Please... I beg you... help me."

Mandarin felt as though he were at his end. Perhaps, death's door. Yet, he wasn't ready to give up. It was just that at the current point in time, he had ran out of all other options. What else could he do? Try? The entirety of his followers were crushed by Anthony Stark. He had no resources left, nothing to hold on to. Simply, he was a broken man.

He had fallen.

So, he sat there on wounded knees, vulnerable and desperate in front of the dragon's statue. With nowhere else to turn, he begged for assistance. He begged for some form of salvation. Some form of redemption. Something... anything... to pick him up and repay Tony Stark for the injustice he had committed.

"HELP ME!" Mandarin's throat scratched and bled as he released a pained scream, "I WANT MY VENGEANCE! I WANT HIM TO PAY!"

_"For years, he has watched you. He has listened. You are a faithful disciple of the Makluans."_

Mandarin listened.

_"You believe in the Makluan as much as you yearn for the Ten Rings. Your belief shall be rewarded."_

Mandarin became much more hopeful.

_"Your vengeance... will come."_

Mandarin managed a smile.

_"... At a price."_

What color was left in his face quickly drained as the room instantly turned black. Pure darkness. And, it suddenly became very cold. Absolutely freezing, a chill right down to the bones. Mandarin felt himself starting to shake and shiver uncontrollably. He would have wagered that if he were able to see anything, that his breath would have been visible.

A whipping wind swirled through the room as the floor began to quake and rumble. Mandarin felt a tug at his shoulders and arms. Not moments later, he was being lifted into the air by some invisible force. He couldn't help but feel the fear as it flowed through his veins alongside the adrenaline. He kept reminding himself that this was all for the best, but that didn't stop his heart from beating at an all too quick pace.

He was lifted higher and higher as everything shook more and more. The grip upon his body tightened, causing him an intense amount of pain. His muscles seemed to be wrenched, his nerves pulled in different directions.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"

After his yell of the purest pain, an ear-shattering screech ripped through the open area. An instant migraine had invaded Mandarin's skull, making it feel as though his brain were ready to pulse through the bone of his skull. His nose began bleeding, the drops dripping down to and from his lips.

A hole opened above in the center, moonlight shining down perfectly to the floor. Another hole had opened, but on the floor, one from which the screech had come from. There the noise was again. And again. And yet another time. Then came what sounded like foot-steps. Heavy and thunderous, like a monster movie. They were coming from the hole in the floor and seemingly getting closer and closer with each new step.

Mandarin's eyes started rolling into the back of his head, a steady stream of crimson leaking from his nostrils and now his ears. His heart was beating at such a rapid pace, that the most likely thing to happen next was probably cardiac arrest. He could barely breathe. He couldn't even envision anything in his mind's eye, couldn't see anything with his own physical eyes. The pain was mind-numbing, blinding, all-encompassing. He started choking, defenseless and oh so vulnerable.

The steps came closer and closer and closer. Heavy monstrous breaths could be heard next. Then came the creature who owned the screech, the steps, the breathing. The creature that Mandarin had traveled to this place to unleash upon Anthony Stark. The creature that was synonymous with the Makluan and the Ten Rings.

It's scaley skin was a dark green, its wings as mighty as its size and stature. It had claws, legs and a tail. It assumed the form of an evil looking and powerful dragon. Its large eyes were narrow, menacing, a full yellow. Its teeth were jagged and razor sharp, its tongue long and wild, pure venom dripping from the tip.

"Mortal..." the creature spoke in an extremely loud and distorted voice, "... Do you comprehend the havoc I shall wreak upon your tormentor?"

Mandarin was let go from the invisible force, falling down hard onto the floor. He was barely strong enough to open his eyes, let alone stand or even sit-up, "K-Kill... him."

"I shall kill many more than just a single mortal human." the creature snarled, "They shall all suffer under my destruction. Under the chaos and annihilation of..."

"... FIN FANG FOOM!"

_**THE ASTONISHING IRON MAN**_

Chapter three in the books. Done (not posted) the same day as Chapter two was posted. I cannot believe it, but I'm personally excited. I'm writing this, and it's just pouring out. Now, as for this chapter... I know that it's a little shorter than the first two, but I just couldn't pass up ending on the note it did. I really like how I've introduced Fin Fang Foom here. And, for a visual, please picture the Adi Granov version from Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas.

The next chapter is the conclusion of this opening arc.


	4. Blueprints Part IV

**The Astonishing Iron Man**

**Chapter 4- "Blueprints" Part IV**

A group of military planes were flying over the Middle East, searching for any signs of the Mandarin's rather elusive whereabouts. For the first couple days since Tony Stark's triumphant return, they had pretty much stuck to circling over the immediate area where Stark was found. On this third day removed, they were ordered by their superiors to cast a wider blanket.

Unfortunately, they were unable to make it that far.

Two of them were speeding through the sky when what could only be described as a flying monster launched into the atmosphere and hovered with its mighty wings flapping. It stared at the pilots as they took emergency evasive maneuvers to try and dodge the creature. No such luck. Fire erupted from its enormous mouth, bathing the two of them in lethal flames. It wasn't seconds before nothing was left but burnt crisps falling to the sands below.

The mighty Fin Fang Foom remained in the sky, stretching his wings, letting the smoke slowly breathe out of his mouth. An omen, a dark beginning. These were but the firsts to feel his destructive wrath.

**Stark Tower...**

"Give it to me straight, Vision; How we looking?"

Once upon a time, Tony Stark had built and finely implemented a highly advanced Artificial Intelligence Unit into the very fabric of Stark Tower. Having difficulty deciding on a name, he gave his faithful Butler, Jarvis, a chance at coming up with one. He decided on... _Vision_.

Essentially, Vision had become the Igor to Tony's Dr. Frankenstein. When in the lab, at times, they seemed very much inseparable.

Currently, Tony Stark was laying down the finishing touches on what he considered to be the second version of his invention. Effectively entitled; The Mark Two Suit of Armor. For all intents and purposes, it truly was infinitely better. A sleeker design, much better flight capabilities, more energy efficient. The energy beam that he had come up with in the cave was much better now. More concentrated and focused.

He was running on zero sleep, having gone constantly throughout the entirety of the night. He didn't want to waste time, needing this to happen as soon as possible. Obviously, Pepper and Jarvis were concerned, but he assured him it was nothing more than a new project.

Taking a step back to look at the suit, his pointer finger gently tracing around the power cell in his chest. If this worked... If it actually worked...

"Everything is in proper working order. Heads-Up Display is clear and functional. Communication systems are online with your home systems. The power cell has been deemed a suitable battery. Repulsors are in working order. All is prepared for the inaugural test session."

"Alright," Tony nodded, satisfied. He was already wearing a skin tight spandex suit and was ready to start suiting up in the actual armor when he spotted Pepper enter the lab from the corner of his eye, "I really need to input a new password."

"This is impressive," Pepper commented, her eyes locking onto the armor, "I'm a little confused, though."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "I was under the impression that Stark Industries was no longer in the weapons business."

"Well... you're definitely under the right impression."

"Then what is this?" Pepper gestured with her hand to the suit, "It looks like some kind of Science Fiction War Machine."

Tony smirked briefly, "Cool name, but no. That isn't what this is, Ms. Potts. This is something else entirely."

"What... exactly?"

"You wanna know how I escaped?"

"Yes, of course."

Tony explained, "I built a suit like this. Well, not quite like this. It was bigger, but ugly. Anyway, it not only gave me a means to escape, but also enabled me to literally break one of the single most dreaded terrorist cells known to man."

"No wonder you're keeping that story to yourself," Pepper concluded, "If S.H.I.E.L.D. finds that out, Director Fury will have you mass-producing these things by the end of the week."

"What I did in the cave? I can do that everywhere else. More than anything else, this world needs someone to stand up for it... To take on the bad guys... To dig in and eliminate the real threats."

Pepper was in disbelief as the realization took hold.

"Don't look at me like that. It makes me nervous."

"Tony..."

"I'll be fine."

"No," her head shook side to side, "If you plan on doing what I think you're going to, you could end up getting killed."

Tony put up a finger, waving it, "Not gonna happen with this lil' thing called a healing factor."

"There are pieces of shrapnel inside of your chest that aren't healing out of you," Pepper raised a valid point, much to her employer's dismay, "What if something happens to your chest and that battery loses power? What if you're shot down by a plane? Blown up by god knows what or who? It's insanity, and as your Executive Assistant, I advise strongly against this idea."

"I can change the world," Tony stated, firmly believing in himself, "I can keep updating and upgrading the suit, making it better and stronger all the time. I'll create different suits for different tasks. Seriously, I spent all last night figuring this out."

"You're acting on impulse."

"I'm..."

"Tony, I applaud your bravery, but this is truly insane. You make it seem like you're going to transform into some kind of superhero."

"I actually have every intention of doing just that. I'll need a name, though? Any ideas?"

Pepper just scoffed, crossing her arms, "This is foolish, Tony. There's nothing out there in this world that the regular military and/or S.H.I.E.L.D. can't already take care of."

**Meanwhile...**

Somewhere far away from solid ground, a rather immense cruise ship had officially been turned over, bits and pieces burning as its wreckage scattered through the blue along with the dead civilians floating. Thick smoke poured into the sky above where the vast creature known only as Fin Fang Foom hovered victoriously.

**Back at Stark Tower...**

"I know I can do this."

"Let other people deal with it," Pepper wouldn't let it go, "There are people trained specifically to provide protection. They're the ones that should be handling terrorists and other bad guys."

"They don't know how to build this," he patted the armor, "They don't have the know-how or resources. They also can't heal. And yes, I realize I currently have a case of the hiccups in that department, but still..."

"Missiles. Rocket launchers. Bombs. Tanks," Pepper ran down the list, "If there's someone flying around the globe in a suit of armor, they're going to be public enemy number one on both sides. You've just been given a second chance here, Tony. Don't risk the rest of your life for some thrill-seeking."

Tony laughed, "Thrill-seeking? You honestly think that's what this is about? Because it's not. This is about me finally doing what I was meant to be doing in the first place. Improving the world!"

"You're out of your mind!"

"Far from it."

"Why does it have to be you?"

"Because no one else can be trusted enough!" Stark's final statement on the matter, "Now... If you'll excuse me... I have a test session to get underway."

Pepper sighed, frustrated with this unbelievable turn of events. One minute, everything seemed to be finally back on track. The next, it was utterly derailed and spiraling off of an all too steep hill. Unable to conjure up anything more to say, Pepper simply turned on her heels and stomped angrily out of the lab, not bothering to cast one more glance towards her boss.

Minutes later, as Tony was still getting into his suit, the television in his lab suddenly clicked on, "Not really the time for me to catch up on my shows, Vision." . However, he then noticed what was playing on the screen, now understanding why it was turned on in the first place.

_"Multiple planes have gone down. A cruise ship was cap-sized and obliterated. And, believe me when I tell you this; It was all courtesy of what is being described as a gigantic monster. We have received amateur video from around the world. Before we show this to you, though, I would like to warn you. These images are startling and very terrifying. If there are children in the vicinity or you yourself are sensitive, please take the proper precautions."_

Tony's jaw nearly dropped to the floor when he saw the images. It was like a massive dragon, soaring through the sky, attacking and destroying whatever it wanted to. The damage was horrendous. Where the hell had this thing come from? Correction; Exactly what the hell was it?

"Looks like we're skipping practice," Tony informed Vision, hurrying himself to get inside the suit, "Patch in the coordinates of all known whereabouts of this thing as they're made available. Pepper's right about the insanity, but I need to do this. And, I know that I can!"

**An Aircraft Carrier at sea...**

All units were prepared, firepower at the ready. If you had hands, they were now holding a weapon. Planes had taken flight, turrets were manned. Judging by the creature's current flight path, this Base would presumably be right smack in the way. Therefore, they were ready for anything.

As predicted, the monster was spiraling straight towards with a ghastly hunger in its haunting eyes. Speeding towards the carrier, its course altered not a mere inch as a rocket was fired head-on. Installing panic into the hearts of everyone on-board the carrier, an immense amount of flames bursted from the monster's mouth, igniting the rocket before it could make contact.

A proverbial cloud of fire. And, horrifyingly, the monster shot right through it, not stopped nor slowed. Before any of the men could react, more flames were thrown. But, this time, they made contact with the carrier itself resulting in massive explosions and screams of death.

Fin Fang Foom landed in the middle, its mighty tail whipping around, destroying all in its path. With its mighty claws, it tore into defenseless flesh, ripping the life away. It snarled and roared, a sound of conquest and delight at the havoc it was wreaking upon the innocent.

A sharp sound began cutting through the atmosphere, coming closer and closer to the horrific scene.

It was Stark!

No, it was...

_**Iron Man**_!

Fin Fang Foom snarled at the intruder as he sped closer, then launched another fiery assault engulfing the suit of armor. Unfortunately for the mighty monster, it did no good...

"Barrier!" Tony spoke to Vision, the AI Unit diverting energy from the power cell to the outside of the suit, forming a skin-tight white light that protected Tony from the fire. Once the flames were gone, the light vanished as soon as it appeared.

Tony's course wasn't deterred in the slightest.

"Repulsors." light began to build in Tony's gloves as he pushed them forward towards the creature, showing no signs of fear. Only determination. Only the will and drive he needed to slay this beast.

Before Foom could do anything, Stark blasted him with two beams of energy hitting right on target in his face, rocking him backward, though not down. Angered, Foom swung a claw, but Tony was far too quick to be touched.

"Patch me into the communications." Stark ordered Vision as he buzzed around Foom like an annoying insect.

_"A connection has been established."_

"Groovy." Stark remarked dryly as he shot Foom again, this time with a lesser amount of energy.

"If anyone can hear this, listen to me closely," Tony began, "I can't do this on my own. I'll keep this thing distracted... But, I need someone to rock his world with the big guns."

"Roger that!"

"I have no idea who you are or where you're from!" Tony dodged another attack, this one courtesy of the giant tail, "But, I'm making damn sure you go back there!"

"I AM FIN FANG FOOM!" the dragon roared, "I AM INDESTRUCTIBLE!"

"How's the power supply, Vis?" Stark took flight higher into the sky.

_"Tapping into the natural energy in your body is proving effective. Your ability to regenerate is replenishing a significant amount of the energy you are losing in the suit. However, it is not infinite, by any means."_

"I can't stay in the air for too long without resting to replenish." Stark concluded, hovering above and out of the reach of this Fin Fang Foom. At least, he thought he was out of reach... "Shit!"

Foom launched into to the air right at Tony and made contact this time around. With his large claws, he batted Stark down like a baseball! Tony fell fast to the carrier, miraciously able to tap into his repulsors just quick enough to soften his crash landing.

"Okay, that hurt." Stark shook his head, clearing the cobwebs. He suddenly realized how tired he felt. Of course, it made sense considering his body's ability to regenerate was helping to fuel the suit. While feeding the suit, it was draining his own internal bio-energy.

"RRRRAAAAHHHHH!" Fin Fang Foom dove down for an attack, targeting Stark directly.

Stark let off a blast and then flew out of the way. The blast caught Foom right between the eyes, breaking his momentum and causing him to roll right off the carrier after making impact. He fell into the water with a grand splash.

Sadly, it did a world of hurt to the structure. It tipped significantly, though thankfully not enough to turn over, as it then fell back to its intended position. Jesus, talk about a close call!

Air Force entering the scene! Hopefully, none of them were Rhodey. The planes all came in hot, ready to fire.

Foom was out of the water in a powerful manner, instantly attacking. The planes had done some damage, but he was able to withstand their onslaught long enough to take them all out. No doubt, back-up would be on the way in minutes.

Stark understood in that instant. It was all about size. David versus Goliath. Sure, this monster movie come to life was powerful, fast, a true colossus. But, Stark was small and lightning quick, and his energy blasts were concentrated at just the right level. It was the equivalent of a Gorilla trying to swat a Fly.

Which brought up the tragic idea of what happened when the Gorilla finally made contact.

Foom was weaker now, that much for certain. Smoke rose from his scaly skin, parts burnt badly and bleeding a rather peculiar yellow blood. His breathing was labored as well. He glared at the man in the armor, heat rising from his mouth as he prepared for another fiery attack.

Stark saw it coming a mile away and readied his repulsors. At just the right nano-second, he pushed the beams outward with a very significant amount of force just as Foom's mouth opened wide.

Foom's attack backed-up into his own body. And that, coupled with Stark's attack, was enough to drop Foom crashing down into the blue below. Problem, it caused an enormous wave that luckily did not end up drowning the entire aircraft carrier.

Tony safely dropped down to the carrier, speaking to the communications, "You guys, ready?"

"Missiles are loaded. But, is it going to be enough?"

"Let's hope so."

Foom literally erupted from the ocean blue, towering in the sky as that yellow blood oozed generously from his mouth and tongue.

"I'm gonna get him turned around!" Stark exclaimed, taking flight once more, "You guys shoot when he's..."

In a surprising move, two bright yellow beams shot from Foom's eyes, making impact with Stark's armor, right in the midsection! This knocked him back through the air and down into the water, sinking like a stone. Knowing he was nearing his end, Fin Fang Foom made a B-line right for Stark in the water, never noticing the missles being launched at him...

Direct hit!

Foom dropped to the carrier. Sadly, his size was almost like another such base dropping onto that one. All communications were destroyed, most weapons were either accidentally ignited or destroyed as well. At this point, it was tragically safe to assume that almost all the men and women on-board had met their untimely fates.

Huffing and puffing, sparks flying from the suit, Stark came up out of the water, eyes widening at the scene playing out before him, "No! NO!"

The carrier had turned over along with a lifeless Fin Fang Foom. There was nothing more that Tony could do to help. All those brave souls were doomed, if they hadn't already perished beforehand.

_"There is critical water damage. You will not have much longer if you continue."_

Still breathing deep and fast, Tony watched helplessly, in almost a daze, as the base drifted further and further down, Foom's monstrous body turning to ash along the way.

**Stark Tower...**

_"What do you say in a moment like this? Tragedy has struck not only this great nation, but parts everywhere. In the wake of devastation and destruction of a truly grand scale, we are left wondering... Who was the creature calling itself Fin Fang Foom? Where did it come from? Had it always been here? And what of the man in the suit of armor that has been labeled Iron Man? Was there truly a man inside? Men and women aboard the aircraft carrier had radioed in for help and claimed that there was something in an iron suit trying to save them. Is it safe to assume that we have witnessed our first Superhero/Supervillain battle? While this Fin Fang Foom is reported dead, will Iron Man stay with us?"_

Tony sat in his den with a drink in hand, tears threatening to spill slowly from his eyes, "I mean... I really thought... I had this all figured out. And I was this close..." he made a small margin with his pointer finger and thumb, "... This god damn close, Pepper! I would have drawn him away and the missiles would have taken him out at a safe distance."

"It was your test session," Pepper explained, "And, with all due respect, you were literally flying by the seat of your pants. You had no clue what you were doing. It was all new. Never-mind that you were battling a monster that just literally came into existence today. Considering what could have happened, I think it was a respectful first day. I wish it would be your last day, but obviously..."

"It definitely isn't my last," Tony finished the drink, "Now that I know the types of dangers that may still be out there, I'm not stopping now. The power cell worked. Tapping into my own bio-energy worked. The suit worked. I know I can do this. I can make a difference."

"I'm not backing down in saying that you shouldn't," Pepper reminded, but then compromised, "But... That doesn't me that I won't support you."

Tony sighed, his head going back, hands over his face, "Terrorists, you know? I was figuring on only going up against guys with guns, maybe a couple rocket launchers and a few grenades. Not... damn Godzilla."

_"Breaking news now, out of the Middle East. The man that Anthony Stark had referred to as the one behind the abduction, Mandarin, has been located. He was laying in a sand dune, barely alive and very much unconscious. Of interesting note; He had a peculiar tatoo across his chest. It has been described as being of an uncanny likeness to the monster, Fin Fang Foom. More on this as it breaks."_

_**THE ASTONSHING IRON MAN**_

The opening arc is complete. How is it? Good? Bad? I think that having the suit's energy being partly replenished by Tony's natural "bio-energy" was a little clever. Obviously, though, I'm biased. Is it stupid? For now, Fin Fang Foom is gone. Is this the absolute last will see or hear from him? Who knows? One thing is for sure, we have not seen the last of Mandarin.


	5. Hammers and Shields Part I

**The Astonishing Iron Man**

**Chapter 5- "Hammers and Shields" Part I**

**S**trategic **H**azard **I**ntervention **E**spionage **L**ogistics **D**ivision.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

They were a branch of the government that had been put into place decades ago. However, they had never officially gained any decent amount of steam until after 9/11 occurred. They had a base called the Triskelion, which was located on its own Island just off the mid to northern east coast of the United States. Everything about it was high-tech. All top of the line, most of which had not been released to the general public as of yet.

Needless to say, a generous amount was comprised of Stark Technology. Some coming even before Tony's time.

All personnel, including but not limited to their esteemed scientists and highly skilled agents, lived there at the base. There was a special living quarters designed to be like a normal apartment building. Granted, not quite anything you would ever find elsewhere. It was just enough, though, to make you feel a little less like your home was a military base of operations.

"We haven't been fast enough to track him, Sir."

Maria Hill was designated as Director Fury's assistant. In case anything happened to Nick Fury, then it would be her who took command of S.H.I.E.L.D.. An occupation she desired greatly. Though, truthfully, at this point in time, she wasn't too quick to say that out loud.

"If we don't score ourselves a victory quick, it's gonna be my head!"

Fury was pissed off. Plain and simple, he was not happy at all. The Fin Fang Foom incident was something extremely out of the realm of normal. But, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been created with that in mind. Maybe not a huge dragon, but with the thought that they would take care of the threats that normal means could not. And, when it was finally their time to shine... All their planes were destroyed, along with the pilots, and they were upstaged by something calling itself Iron Man.

Whether or not a man was even inside of that suit, had remained to be seen. Yeah, cyborgs may have been a little too science fiction. But, you could say that about huge flying monsters as well.

The United States President was displeased. The United Nations were displeased. Hell, it seemed that everyone in the world was displeased. So, in an effort to try and smooth things over, Director Fury proposed somewhat of a peace offering. If those people could look past S.H.I.E.L.D.'s inability to take down Fin Fang Foom, then Fury would uncover the mysteries behind this Iron Man.

As luck would have it; Easier said than done.

They got nothing. Absolutely nothing. And, all the while, this Iron Man was making them look horrible. He had rescued people from a huge fire in California. He had broken up a massive crime ring in Detroit. Not to mention, he single-handedly brought to justice a terrorist group operating out of Iran. And this was all in less than a period of a handful of weeks.

They didn't know how he did it. They didn't know where he came from. They didn't know the extent of his abilities. Hell, they still didn't know if he was even a god damn human or not under that armor!

Fury eyed Maria from behind the eye-patch, his grey sideburns helping in adding an intense look, "I want every solitary piece of evidence, footage, reports, every god damn thing that we have on this Iron Man piled all together and examined again."

"Sir, with all due respect, we've already done that twice." Hill reminded.

"I don't care!" Fury slammed a fist on his desk, "There has to be something that we're missing. Cyborg or not, Iron Man didn't pop out of thin air. He came from somewhere. He was built by someone. Someone knows something. We just need to find that person."

"Mandarin knows something."

After being brought to the authorities in his homeland, Mandarin was then handed over to S.H.I.E.L.D.. He was currently serving an as of yet undetermined sentence in their own prison. He was locked inside the Triskelion and treated for the injuries he sustained. And, as of yet, he hadn't spoken one word.

"Obviously," Fury's gruff voice, "But, he ain't talking and there's no point in beating a dead horse."

"I still think we can get something out of him." Hill alluded to unsavory ways of making a bird sing.

Fury shook his head, not approving, "We're in hot enough water as it is. Last thing we need is to be on the nightly news torturing prisoners."

**A.I.M. HQ...**

Advanced Idea Mechanics. As noted, the company being run by Obadiah Stane. Along with Stark Industries, their weapon designs may have very well altered the entire scope of the world. Business was healthy, it had been booming for the past few years. Then came the real cherry on top. Obadiah had finally convinced Tony into a partnership. The companies wouldn't technically be merging, but they would certainly be working together for the, at least, immediate future.

Of course, that was all before Tony Stark was abducted and injected with an entirely different outlook on life and the world around him. He wanted out of the weapons business. Effective immediately.

That didn't sit well with Obadiah. Not at all.

Though it had merely been a month, Obadiah felt like he had been waiting an eternity for this meeting to finally happen. A little one on one time with that man that broke their partnership. See, the thing was... it wasn't only that Tony broke it. It wasn't just that. It was much more. The way it all went down, Stark made Obadiah look like the horrible iron monger still producing weapons. Stark made it look like Obadiah didn't give a damn about the world. He made him look like a damn fool in the eyes of the entire world...

"... I'm the bad guy!" Stane exclaimed, sitting at his personal desk while finally having his much needed meeting with Tony Stark. Of course, Pepper was in the background taking notes.

"You know that wasn't my intention, Obie," Tony explained, "Just... things happened over there that made me re-consider the decisions I've made. With that information in my head now, there's no way I could keep doing what I was doing."

Stane chuckled sarcastically, "You really are a piece of work, Tony. You're so self-involved. It's like... you truly believe that you are the nexus of the entire universe. Well, my friend, you're not."

"Look, I know you're mad. Like I said, I'm willing to pay you whatever monies you believe you've lost because of my..."

"It isn't about the god damn money!" Obadiah shouted, losing his cool and accidentally startling Pepper, "I am sorry, Ms. Potts."

"It's alright."

Obadiah stood up, arms crossed as he paced the floor a little, composing himself, "You're America's Son now, Tony. Number one everywhere I look. You wanna know what's happening to me? You wanna know what I am to America?"

"I know what's happening to you, Obie. And, I'll keep apologizing to you if that's what it..."

"I'm being protested! I got employees walking out 'cause they don't trust me. I got S.H.I.E.L.D. breathing down my neck more than they already were in the first place!" Obie was visibly upset, "It isn't about compensation. It isn't about apologies. It isn't about you making things right."

"Then what the hell am I here for?" Tony finally shouted back, standing sharply, the chair tipping over behind him.

"I want to re-negotiate the partnership!" Obadiah responded loudly.

"Are you out of your mind?" Stark wasn't buying it, "I'm not gonna back down after a month. And, I sure as hell know for a fact that you've got over two dozen contracts going on right now. Which means you won't be out of the weapons business anytime soon even if you quit right this second. So..."

"Make that less than a dozen," Obadiah interrupted, "I'm telling ya, Tony. You really screwed me this time. The contracts that I had are going to Hammer. I'm in damage control mode here. I'm in desperate need of showing the people I'm not some heartless bastard helping to keep the wars going so I won't end up out of business."

Tony shrugged, "There's not going to be a partnership. I'm sorry, man. I know that I'm really hanging you out to dry here. But, I'm done with weapons."

Obadiah sighed through his nose, hands on his hips as he looked at Stark with disappointment, "Then what am I supposed to do?"

Tony had a few possible paths in mind, "Try some different routes. Medical research? Maybe you could look into energy-savers? Umm... let's see..."

Unless there were major breakthroughs, medical research was a dead-end. Same with the whole energy crisis problem. And, Advanced Idea Mechanics was already losing thousands upon thousands each day. If not millions and millions. They weren't just in the hole. They were falling deeper and deeper by the minute. And, everyone knew, the deeper you fell... the harder it would be to dig yourself out.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Stark has a Press-Conference to prepare for." Pepper politely spoke.

"Yeah, I heard. So... What's the big announcement?"

"I'm going to..."

Obadiah quickly interrupted, "No no. Let me guess. Uhhh... You're going to cure all the puppies in the world? Or maybe make all the little bunnies whiter? Fluffier, perhaps?"

"Last time I'm gonna say it," Tony took offense to those comments, "I am incredibly sorry for how this all went down. But, Obie, I can't turn back time and change my mind. Even if I could go back, I still wouldn't. I'm just on a different course now."

Obadiah watched as Tony and Pepper headed for the door. He would regret it if he didn't say something else, "Ya know; People are afraid of dragons flying in the sky and damn robots starting a war. You backing out of our deal is the biggest mistake you have ever made and will ever make. We could be sleeping in piles of money right now!"

"Actually... I already do that." Tony quipped with a sly smirk, leaving the office with his assistant.

Once he was alone, Obadiah let his temper get the best of him as he picked up the chair Tony had been sitting in and flung it against the wall, knocking down a few framed pieces of art. Damn that Tony Stark! Who the hell did he think he was?

Minutes later, there was a knock at the door. In walked one of A.I.M.'s leading Scientists, a man by the name of George Tarleton. George was a meek and mild-mannered individual, rarely seen out of the sub-basement of the headquarters. Very shy, hair always a mess, spectacles never appearing to fit right.

Judging by the way in which Tarleton entered the room, Obadiah could already hear his words before he even had a chance to say them. Which was a disappointment, to say the very least...

"No progress, Sir." Tarleton regretfully informed, "We are still at zero-percent concerning designing armor like Iron Man's."

"Get the hell out of my office, George," Stane was in a very foul mood, and it was becoming more so at a rapid pace, "And don't set another foot through that door unless it's to hand an Iron Man suit over to me!"

The scientist left in a hurry.

Obadiah Stane had an idea. He wanted to duplicate the Iron Man armor. However, it was proving far more difficult than he previously anticipated. The A.I.M. scientists were getting nowhere. Literally nowhere. They were absolutely no closer than when the idea first popped into Obadiah's mind two weeks ago. Now, he wasn't expecting an overnight miracle. But, something. Anything.

Advanced Idea Mechanics was sinking fast, and they needed to do something drastic before they drowned.

**The Press-Conference...**

Tony Stark stood at the podium, his eyes confidently focused on the future. As of late, he truly had gained a new resolve. One that was solely centered around making the world a better, healthier place to live in. That was the new goal he had set for himself, it was what he was now striving for. Evidence of that fact was Iron Man. He wasn't quite ready to let the proverbial iron cat out of that bag just yet, though.

"Hello, everyone," Tony began, everyone watching, Pepper in the front row with Rhodey, "Uhh... Alright, I know this is a little sudden here. But, I've been asked a lot of questions recently in relation to the chaos that took place a few weeks ago. The main question being; If there are new more advanced, more dangerous threats to consider, will Stark Industries resume its weapons manufacturing?"

"An emphatic no, to be blunt," Stark's answer right off the bat, "As a business man, it pains me to say that. I mean, I could be making millions upon millions more if I wanted to, right? All sorts of new missiles and rockets, and what have you. But, as a human being, I am proud of my decision to remain on the sideline."

"Now, in regards to other questions such as what does the future hold for my company and I? First and foremost, let me be honest by telling you all that there is some uncertainty. There is some doubt. Hell, a little fear too. But, I am going to stand my ground. I am not going to fall into old habits and ventures. With that in mind, let me list a few things that Stark Industries is now focusing on; Solving the energy crisis. Yes, I do mean _solving _as in never having to worry about it again if we succeed. Also, funding and producing medical research. I haven't quite secured the rights yet, but I have plans to plant a medical branch on the tree that is Stark Industries."

"I am also looking into the motor business. As of now - and prepare yourselves for a major announcement - I am in talks with four major manufacturers. These talks regarding a new vehicle that will be called The Stark Resiliant. A new vehicle that will not run on gas. I know this doesn't sound like a major breakthrough. But, when you see what is actually runs on... You will be amazed. There, I said it."

"Yes, these are big dreams. Yes, they may seem unreachable. But, my father once declared in the face of the entire world that perfection is possible. You're about to feel a little deja vu, folks, be warned... My name is Anthony Edward Stark and I am stating to you all with an honest heart that perfection is possible. Not only can we achieve it. But, we will."

"Thank you for your time. How about some questions?"

The room came alive, reporters standing and raising their hands, blurting out whatever came to mind as the photographers went to work...

"Mr. Stark, Ben Urich of the Daily Bugle," an older man with a trenchcoat and glasses, very much fitting the role of an old school reporter, "What are your thoughts on Iron Man?"

"Iron Man?" Tony cocked a brow, "What is there to say? I'm skeptical."

Did Pepper just hear that right?

"Who or what is it that is underneath the suit?" he wondered, playing it off nicely, "I mean, yeah, this Iron Man has been doing a lot of good. Terrorist actions are slowing, there's a general sense of peace being on the way. As I said, though. I'm skeptical. Until we are able to communicate openly with Iron Man, I think we should all be wary of him flying around the world."

Another question, "Considering the recent collapse between Stark Industries and Advanced Idea Mechanics; What is your relationship with Obadiah Stane?"

"He is not happy with me," the obvious answer, "Next question."

"Chess Roberts, Fox News," a woman spoke over everyone else, "What about you personally? How is Tony Stark handling everything? What do you say to those who claim your recent change of heart isn't genuine?"

"That was actually three," he pointed out, "I'll answer the last one. I have been met with my fair-share of criticism before _and_ after my change of heart. Some people don't take my new stance seriously, and I'm willing to accept that for now. But, know this; I have every intention of proving my critics wrong."

"Okay, one more and I'm done."

"Why wasn't I invited?" a raspy voice spoke from the back of the room.

Justin Hammer of Hammer Enterprises. He wasn't elderly, but he was older. In his fifties, though he didn't look a day out of his forties. Never seen out of his suit and tie unless he was somewhere golfing. Almost officially, his company had assumed the role abandoned by Stark Industries. Ever since, Justin Hammer had become a major player just about over-night. One may argue that he had become an over-night sensation.

"Someone get this man a wheelchair, he could tip over at any moment." Tony quipped to a short chuckle.

"Insulting the elderly?" Justin responded, approaching the podium, "Not too smooth, Business Man."

"Why are you here?" Stark wanted to cut through the crap immediately. Short story, he and Hammer had never liked each other. Their rivalry had only escalated when Hammer began making public appearances and messages concerning the fraud that he claimed was Stark's change of heart.

"Call me a spectator, Tony," he explained, "Color me interested, too. You've got some great ideas. But, you know who else does? Hammer Enterprises."

"Trying to steal my thunder. I should have known."

"And one of my ideas involves this Iron Man," Hammer resumed, ignoring Stark's words, "Picture this; We pool our resources, work together, and get to the bottom of this Iron Man debacle. What do you say?"

"No, of course not."

"Why not?" Hammer was displeased, "We could work wonders. Maybe even work with this guy to duplicate the armor he wears. Outfit some soldiers?"

Stark scoffed, "One of the main reasons that I'm skeptical of Iron Man is because of the armor. We have all seen what it can do. The last thing this world needs is a bunch of duplicates flying around. Besides, that would fall on the side of weapons manufacturing."

"So high and mighty," Hammer commented, turning his back in disgust, walking out, "So above and beyond. By the way, if I were you, I wouldn't keep bad-mouthing this Iron Man. Some friendly advice, don't agitate someone that can shoot laser beams out of their hands."

This wasn't about Justin Hammer trying to work with Tony. Far from it. This was a thinly veiled attempt at trying to make Hammer Enterprises appear bigger and better than they really were. This was about trying to make Stark look bad. Not to mention instigate Iron Man. Although, Tony couldn't help but wonder if Justin Hammer was up to something else. Something underhanded. The Justin Hammer that Tony knew wasn't about the greater good or anything like that. Justin Hammer was about two things; Greed and power.

Justin Hammer wanted the specs to an Iron Man suit to engineer and distribute his own version. For his own use, his own gain. Luckily, that would never happen. There was no way in hell that Hammer Enterprises was ever going to create their own armor. Tony Stark would never allow it. Not even S.H.I.E.L.D. would. But, most of all...

Iron Man never would.

_**THE ASTONISHING IRON MAN**_

And so begins the 2nd arc of The Astonshing Iron Man. Somewhat a prelude to an Arms Race, almost. You have Hammer and Stane both looking to duplicate the armor. You also have S.H.I.E.L.D. hoping to deal with Iron Man themselves. All the while, here's Tony bad-mouthing Iron Man and laying the groundwork for the future of not only Stark Industries, but possibly the entire world.


	6. Hammers and Shields Part II

**The Astonishing Iron Man**

**Chapter 6- "Hammers and Shields" Part II**

For all intents and purposes, it would be a wise assumption at this point to say that the terrorist known only as Mandarin was without the ability of speech. At least, that's what S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Clay Quartermaine thought as he unlocked the cell, three armed guards by his side.

"Feel like talking yet?" Agent Quartermaine asked humorously as the door shut behind him, only one other guard following him inside.

Mandarin kept his sight locked on the wall in front of him, sitting there on his bed.

"No?" the agent wondered, "Why? Sticking to this vow of silence you have going on, is doing nothing but hurting yourself."

No response.

"This is useless," the guard spoke out of turn, "He isn't going to talk. It's like he's in a coma with his eyes open."

Indeed, that seemed the truth. Mandarin rarely slept, rarely even flinched. His body was wearing down physically at what seemed like an accelerated rate, but his emotions and mind must have been stronger than ever. There appeared to be no breaking this man. He was focused, he was concentrating. The gears were grinding in his brain, planning something, plotting.

"You're right," Agent Quartermaine sighed, feeling defeated, "He might as well not have a mouth. C'mon, let's report another lack of progress to General Fury."

They left the cell.

Mandarin didn't move a muscle.

**Stark Tower...**

Anthony Edward Stark was about to embark upon something that he hadn't since before being abducted by the Ten Rings. Something that surprisingly felt foreign at this point. He was about to go out on a date. It was one of those blind date deals, which Tony had never been a fan of - contrary to popular belief. But, it had been set-up by his assistant, the one and only Pepper Potts. She had known this young woman for awhile now, and thought it would be a nice change of pace from what Tony usually stumbled in through the front door with.

"I hate these things." Tony mumbled, fiddling with a tie.

Pepper was standing in front of him and decided to take the initiative, "You can fly at the speed of light and take down a magical dragon, but you can't do this right? The only reason you hate ties is because they boggle your mind."

"Exactly," Tony half-smiled, "It also seems useless. I mean, shouldn't I just show up there naked?"

"Oddly enough," Pepper finished, "Most of the time when you end up naked, you still have the tie around your neck. To be entirely honest, I'm not sure if that's perverted or just plain lazy."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Besides," she took a step back, making sure he looked presentable and handsome, "You're not in the market for _that_ type of woman anymore. We want you to be seen with respectable high-class ladies now. That Playboy lifestyle is a thing of the past. Whitney is a woman with morals and self-esteem."

"I could always relapse," he smirked, entertaining the idea in his mind, "The Press digs the relapse."

"Be that as it may..." Pepper stepped to the side, "Happy is downstairs waiting."

All set and ready to go, Tony moved past his assistant en route to the exit door.

Pepper called out before he could leave, "Remember, Mr. Stark; You're a new man. A _better_ man."

"I'll keep it in mind," Tony waved humorously, wiggling his fingers, "But... I'm making no promises."

**A.I.M. Headquarters...**

Leading scientist for Advanced Idea Mechanics, George Tarleton considered himself a simple man. He had no wife, no children, no life outside of his scientific work with the organization. That was how he considered himself a simple man. There was nothing to his entire existence other than science and the pursuit of pushing its boundaries.

Currently, he was inside his personal laboratory, working feverishly to try and duplicate the Iron Man armor. Also feverishly, was he reaching his wits end. The difficulty in a fully operational duplicate wasn't in designing the armor. Granted, it wasn't up to the level of the real thing, but it was perfectly okay all the same. No, the trouble lied in creating a sufficient battery to power the suit. After all, placing a normal human being in an iron suit like this one would deem movement nigh impossible.

Which lead George to believe that the circle of light in Iron Man's chest was a power supply. Which, to him at least, made more sense than Iron Man being a robot. Although, there was always the possibility that a remote controlled armored android could be the culprit. If only George could get his own two hands on the Iron Man armor, pick it apart, discover what made it tick.

Alas, he could not, and that was proving his greatest downfall. He still hadn't made any progress. And, as he sat alone at his computers inside a darkened laboratory, he knew that it was only a matter of time before his employer barged in through the door demanding positive results. God, Mr. Stane was impossible to deal with ever since the partnership with Stark Industries fell through the floor. Adding to the frustration was his hefty loss of manufacturing contracts. It had gotten so bad that he discarded the few he still had left, instead focusing solely on duplicating the Iron Man armor.

If only he truly understood how insurmountable of a task it was.

George cleaned his glasses with a cloth, eyes still focusing on the monitor in front of him. By this point, they were all starting to blend and blur together. In minutes, they would resemble nothing to him other than a puddle of ink. Let it be known, George Tarleton knew when it was time to call it quits. He shut down the computers and started packing his things into a briefcase. Back to the proverbial drawing board in the morning. Give it another go, hopefully see something he missed previously.

He was mere inches away from the door when it opened, revealing a drunk and irritated Obadiah Stane, suit disheveled, tie loose around the collar...

"Hell you think you're going, George?" his voice was slurred yet aggressive as he stomped towards the scientist, getting in his face.

"Home, Sir," George swallowed hard, backing up, "I'm exhausted."

"Oh," Obadiah smiled, though it was obviously false, "Well, that means good news. You've made progress on the Iron Man project! A celebration is in..."

"Please, just let me go home, Sir." George was extremely uncomfortable with this situation.

"You promised me, George," Obadiah shoved George back into a table, knocking over a batch of chemicals that the scientist had worked on earlier in the day, "Now, what the hell is that?"

"P-p-p-project healer." George stuttered, the sweat pouring down his face as the fear filled him, "I've been working from samples of Project: Rebirth. It's almost completed."

"I don't want you working on any other god damn project!" Stane shouted, tipping over the table in anger, numerous scientific instruments along with the chemicals crashing to the floor in a heap.

"I'm sorry!" George cried.

Obadiah had reached a point in his life where it felt as though he was at the end of his rope. Tony backing out of their partnership was the worst possible thing that could have ever happened to him. And, it was affecting him in more ways than one. He was a wreck, staying late at work and drinking just to numb the humiliation and failure he felt every night when he returned home to his family. And now Tarleton was directly defying him?

"Consider yourself fired, George!" Obadiah shouted once more, "Get the hell outta my sight!"

"You can't fire me," George blurted fearfully, feeling his life slip through his fingers like water, "This is my life, all I have! All you have! You need me!"

"I don't need you," Obadiah, lost to his rage and other emotions, backhanded George, sending the scientist face down into a puddle of the chemicals he had been working on recently, "You son of a bitch! OBADIAH STANE NEEDS NO ONE!"

George coughed repeatedly, feeling a burning down the lining of his throat as he had ingested some of the chemical. He tried picking himself up, but merely slipped and fell, repeating the process again. He had a minor bruise on his cheek that had started swelling, and little cuts from falling into broken glass.

Obadiah raised a boot to stomp down on the scientist, but lost his footing and nearly fell. Perhaps, this was enough of a hesitation to tear him away from his alchohol induced rage. As if his eyes had opened for the first time tonight, he looked around at what he had done and quickly turned, stumbling out of George's personal lab in a hurry.

"HELP ME!" George screamed, a sense of pain coursing through his veins that he never experienced before. The chemicals were reacting in his system, possibly adapting to his own DNA in a way that was unexpected. Of course, he never intended to be the first test subject, "SOMETHING IS HAPPENING TO ME!"

Obadiah rushed through the door, ashamed and afraid to look over his shoulder and see what he had caused.

George's eyes began bulging out of his skull, the muscles in his arms and legs weakened significantly. And his brain... As if it had been lit on fire...

"MY GOD, PLEASE HELP ME!"

**Elsewhere...**

"I won't lie to you, Happy - at least not now - I'm nervous about this."

"Sir, with all due respect, how is that even possible? You're Tony Stark."

Tony was in the back of the vehicle, sweating this date of his with one Whitney Frost. Truth be told, it was the first date he had been on since maybe his High School days where he was sober. Is this how normal people felt before a fancy dinner? Oh, who was he kidding, the normal people were the drunk ones. Any nimrod with half a brain would drink themselves silly before such an evening.

They were parked right in front of the fine dining establishment. A French restaurant. Of course, was there any other kind? Momentarily, making sure his sunglasses were in the right position to shield his eyes from the inevitable barrage of flash-bulb snapshots, Tony nodded to his driver and Happy came around the back to open the door for his employer...

"New record," Tony muttered out of the side of his mouth, Happy casually pumping his fist while closing the door behind Stark, "Hey hey hey, how we doin', Peeps?"

As predicted, the photography was in full-effect, as was the cell-phone cameras. Tony's date must have let-slip to someone that she was going out on a date with the billionaire. Questions came flying at him too, but he had long since trained himself to ignore them.

The restaurant's doors opened for him and he walked through, all the press and rabid fans being left out in the proverbial cold. Tony sighed contentedly, enjoying the new-found quiet, but being annoyed with the stares of all the patrons pointing and whispering at him as he was being lead to his table. No big deal, though, just a minor annoyance.

And there was the lady of the evening; Whitney Frost. A beautiful young woman with bright blue eyes and long flowing blonde hair. She had on this stunning little blue number and shoes to die for. Well... the dying part being if you were a woman.

"Ms. Frost," Tony gently took her hand, placing a soft kiss upon it before sitting down, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Whitney smiled brightly, unable to contain it. She just couldn't believe she was on a date with _the_ Tony Stark.

"So, what's your favorite color? What car do you drive? Where are you from? Do you like your job? How long have you known Ms. Potts? What are your parents like?" a flurry of questions from a smiling Tony Stark.

Whitney blushed, "Hello, Mr. Stark."

"Oh, no, that won't do," Tony poured two glasses of champagne that had just been delivered to the table by the waiter, "Call me Tony."

"But that's no fair," she countered, "You got to call me Ms. Frost."

"Touche," Tony smirked, taking a sip, "Whitney."

"That's better." she smiled.

A bit of a streak of silence began at the table, neither quite sure what to say. It wasn't comfortable, but it also didn't feel awkward, either. Somewhere in-between the two.

"So," the lady took a chance to speak, "What is a typical date like for Tony Stark?"

Tony thought it over for a few seconds, indulging in the remainder of his beverage, "A little dinner, a little chatting. Maybe crash a party or two. Then... freestyle it the rest of the way."

"Ah, I see."

"How about for the beautiful Whitney Frost?"

She laughed in a subtle manner before answering, "Get to know the person, see if we're compatible or not, and then take it from there."

"I'm assuming taking it from there doesn't lead to any bedroom activity?" Stark was blunt.

"No." an honest answer with a shake of her head.

"This will sound immensely conceited," Tony leaned forward in his chair, elbows on the table, "But, I have to commend you for saying that."

"Why?" she was intrigued, knowing well the playboy lifestyle of Tony Stark. She was figuring her stance on the one-night stand subject was a death sentence. But, apparently that wasn't the case. At least... not yet.

"Here comes the conceited part," Tony resumed, "Typically, I date floozies. I mean, they are actual definition answers of floozies. They wanna live the lifestyle and I supply it for them. A couple trips in the private jet, a little 'round-town in the limo, wake up in the morning feeling refreshed with a sense of accomplishment. Them, not me."

"Your old life," Whitney came to the conclusion, "What did you get out of it personally?"

"A lot of sex." Stark shrugged, pouring some more champagne for himself while his date wasn't even finished with her first yet, "That's about it."

"What about now?" Whitney asked, curious, "Pepper said your old ways are a thing of the past?"

Tony had raised the glass to his lips, but stopped himself from taking a sip. The excessive drinking would fall under the category of old ways. He set the glass down and pushed the large bottle to the side, "They are. I see things a lot differently than I used to. I mean, I won't lie and say I'm a completely different person. I just... Trimmed the fat a little, if you know what I mean. Different views, different priorities."

"I can see it in your eyes." a cryptic comment.

"Hmm?"

"That difference," she answered, "I mean, I never met you in person before. But, it's obvious even on TV and in the magazines. You have a stronger stance, your posture's better, and there's this new look in your eyes. I'll be honest, I was never interested in you before. I thought you were disgusting. But, I'm curious about you now."

"So, you're interested in me now and the disgust has faded?" Tony just had to drink to that, "You know what, I'm okay with that."

**A.I.M. Headquarters...**

George Tarleton was dying. And he just knew that pig Obadiah Stane was long gone by now. Switched around security footage, the whole nine yards. Wouldn't be the first time that son of a bitch had covered up a major lab accident. Praise Tony Stark for not giving him the satisfaction of making more money. However, on the other hand, if the deal had gone through, this accident would have never happened in the first place.

Curse them all!

The pain still surged, as George sat against a table, unable to move his arms and legs, even his waist. As far as he could tell, he was paralyzed from the neck down. Couldn't even move his damned head. Speaking of which, there seemed an accelerated swelling that made it feel as if it were doubling in size. All because of that pig of a man, OBADIAH STANE! The anger flowed alongside the pain, intensifying with it side by side. Oh god, he just wanted it to end. His brain... Like flames were dancing on and inside of it. Like a ball of fire had encapsulated the entirety of it.

"DAMN YOU, OBADIAH!"

What was he going to do now? Just lay here and rot until the janitor received word to mop him up off the dirty floor? Be thrown into a trash can? Better yet, incinerated? Yes, incineration would be best. Nothing would be better than to burn Obadiah down to nothing but ash and bone. Dah! This rage was unlike any anger George had felt previously. The same to be said for the pain. The strength of it, how downright powerful it was.

That moment, the lab door opened and the rage burned hotter than the sun itself...

"I WILL CRUSH YOU, OBADIAH! MY REVENGE WILL CRIPPLE YOU AS YOU HAVE CRIPPLED ME!"

"Allow me to introduce myself," that voice... it wasn't Stane... but he recognized it all the same, "My name is Justin Hammer and I have something to share with you."

George's lip turned in disgust, "I can't move my body! My brain is on fire! HELP ME!"

"I've been watching you for a very long time," Justin explained, guards behind him, "And, I have been monitoring this healer project that you've been working on. You see, Mr. Tarleton, we live in a new age. One that requires us to think outside the box. To entertain radical ideas and theories that were never thought realistic in the past. And for the longest time, I have been very curious to see how this new chemical you've created would react with a human body."

"IT BROKE ME!" George screeched.

"Your head," Justin pointed to the abnormal size of George's head, "It's growing. That is something that I would like to monitor. Mr. Tarleton, you are so very lucky that I happened to be in town tonight for a conference."

"I'm dying!" George cried, the tears flowing like a broken faucet, "Save me! HELP ME, PLEASE! MY BRAIN..." his eyes bulged more as the size of his head increased, "IT'S ON FIRE!"

"Sedate him and call for a transport," Hammer straightened his posture while ordering his guards, "I want him at Hammer Labs ready for experimentation by 6am."

The guards did as they were told, and George fell unconscious. Moments later, Obadiah re-entered the lab, very much not drunk at all. Had it been a mere ploy?

"You did good, Obadiah," Justin extended a hand toward Stane, "You will be compensated greatly."

"I'm takin' a huge leap of faith here, Hammer," Stane was unsure of this uneasy alliance, "Don't make a desperate man regret his desperate decisions."

"Trust me, this is all for the best."

Obadiah knew this may have been a grave mistake. But, for all intents and purposes, he needed this. Ever since the deal with Tony fell through, Stane needed something else like it to cling to. He may have found just that in an alliance with Justin Hammer a.k.a. the thorn in Tony Stark's side.

**Tony Stark's Date...**

The remainder of the evening had gone smoothly. Tony Stark and Whitney Frost had enjoyed each other's company and talked the night away at the table before, during, and after their dinner. Surprising himself, Tony really found this as a very nice change of pace. He really enjoyed just talking to Whitney. They went on about any and everything. Childhood memories, Pepper, their work schedules. Apparently, Whitney was in the fashion business, though she claimed she never aspired nor desired to become a model.

After the date officially ended, the two of them entered Tony's limousine, where Happy would drive Whitney to the hotel she was currently staying at for the time being. Eventually, they arrived...

"I had a wonderful time." Whitney admitted.

"Me too, actually, which is pretty shocking," Tony confessed, "So, how do we do this? Are we going to see each other again or just let fate do its thing?"

"I have a busy few weeks ahead of me," she responded, frowning a little, "But, after that I'm free."

"Good," Tony liked the idea of them seeing more of each other, "Because I'd hate to sabotage your career just so I would be able to spend more time with you."

Whitney partially smiled, "Is it wrong that I'm not sure if you're joking or not?"

"I like to keep people on their toes." Tony responded as Happy opened the lady's door, "So, I guess this is goodbye, then."

"Thank you for the lovely evening, Tony." Whitney was appreciative.

"Still no chance of extending said evening?" Tony smirked, cocking a brow mischievously.

Whitney smiled, "I'm a lady, Mr. Stark. Not one of your floozies. Good night." she exited the car.

And the car door was shut. Seconds later, Happy was in the driver's seat, shifting the vehicle into gear and driving away, "So, that went well, huh?"

"I don't know, man," Tony wasn't feeling it, "Not what I'm used to, you know?"

"You're crazy, Sir," Happy peeked in the rear-view, "She's beautiful and she's into you."

"Yeah, I guess."

It might have made him seem like a complete ass, but Tony was all for the possible relationship during the dinner and drive. But now that it was finished and hadn't progressed into a much more intimate situation, he walked away from it with sour feelings. Perhaps, it was only due to being so foreign to standard dating procedure. He was so used to everything happening so fast, that he was quite sure how to handle something that moved slower but held much more substance.

Maybe a convo with Pepper was in order?

_**ASTONISHING IRON MAN**_


	7. Hammers and Shields Part III

**The Astonishing Iron Man**

**Chapter 7- "Hammers and Shields" Part III (Arc Finale)**

The mornings were easier now. Much more so. It seemed a lifetime away, when Pepper would have to take out the proverbial trash. But, not such the case any longer. At the very least, for the time being. Now on a typical morning, Pepper could wake up, take her shower, and prepare for the day at a casual and comfortable pace, rather than hurrying like hell to clean up whatever mess Tony had made the night before.

Easier.

It gave her the chance to collect her thoughts and mentally prep for the day ahead. Typically, behind a coffee beverage. Pepper smiled warmly as Jarvis handed her a steaming cup, and then took a couple quick sips before turning her attention towards the news on the television in the kitchen area. The cup nearly fell out of her hands when she heard the report.

"Jarvis?" her eyes glued to the screen, jaw threatening to drop.

"Yes, Ms. Potts?" the older butler responded.

"Tony needs to wake up right now."

_"Now, a bit of unexpected turn of events; Merely an hour ago, 5am Eastern Standard Time, there came an announcement regarding an impromptu Press-Conference scheduled for later today in front of the main Headquarters of Advanced Idea Mechanics. CEO Obadiah Stane is now expected to confirm that his company has secured the rights to a number of new contracts that experts are instantly expecting to resuscitate his career and business. Involved in these new deals, is the man behind Hammer Enterprises, Justin Hammer. More on this as it breaks, which includes live coverage of the event as it happens later today."_

Tony Stark was now awake, watching the news coverage with sleepy eyes, wearing his robe and pajama pants. He had to wipe his eyes a few times to see clearly, both literally and figuratively. Did hear that right? He grabbed the television remote and rewound, watching it again. Why would Hammer help out Stane? And where the hell did this all come from? Out of the blue? Again, why would Hammer help anyone?

"I don't like this, Tony," Pepper voiced her concerns, "What if the two of them are partnering to target you?"

That was a major assumption jump on Pepper's part, but Tony was drifting to the same idea. Granted, it was still early to assume anything, but it made perfect sense, even at this point. Hammer made it clear that he was miffed at Tony, as did Obadiah. Looked like a systematic corporate take-down was in order. And the target was one Anthony Edward Stark.

**:::Hammer Labs:::**

From behind a plate glass window, Justin Hammer watched on at the mutation bound to a table that it couldn't even get off of anyway. The room had been sound-proofed due to the constant screams of agony being produced by George Tarleton. His skull and brain had expanded even further. As if he had the elephantiasis disease. But, on a - pardon the pun - larger scale.

Scientists and Doctors working underneath Justin Hammer had come to the conclusion that it was the rest of George's body causing the pain. That didn't make much sense, considering that he begged for his brain and head to be numbed by the strongest drugs known to man, but it was their conclusion. This gave Justin something to think about as he stood behind that window, dressed in his suit, wrapping his mind around the situation in front of him.

"He's paralyzed," Hammer's lead scientist, Arthur Parks, stood next to his employer, "Below his head, his body is utterly useless. But, above it, is a gold-mine. We've conducted numerous scans and the activity going on in his brain is off the charts. It's... not human."

Interesting.

"For comparative purposes; Everyone has heard of the myth... Humans only use roughly ten percent of their brain, right?" Arthur raised the age-old theory, "If that were true; Then George would be more than quadrupling that. No, higher actually. The mysteries of the brain are still mysteries, but there's no denying that this man's mind has evolved from the chemicals."

Justin kept watching.

"But, his body is hindering further progress," Arthur explained, "Which is how I've come to a radical idea. One that isn't ethical, but I am seriously contemplating may be our only chance at success with him."

Justin slowly turned his head to Arthur, listening closely.

"What if we were to transplant his brain into another body?" Arthur knew it was bizarre, but he was confident that it could work, "We have six different robotic designs."

"Impossible," Justin quickly dismissed, "I applaud your enthusiasm, but that won't work. Science hasn't gone that far."

"Science hasn't," Arthur agreed, nodding, "But, what if _he_ has? What if we can somehow get his mind off the pain long enough for him to maybe come up with an idea on how to do it? I mean, the man was a genius before, and now his brain has evolved. I think it's worth the shot. At this rate, we're lucky the pain hasn't damaged his psyche yet. If we wait any longer..."

Justin pressed a button on a keypad in front of him, an intercom device, "George, can you hear me?"

"MAKE IT STOP!"

"George, I need you to focus on my voice. I need you to really listen. Are you listening to me?"

"HELP ME!"

"George, what is two plus two?"

"MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! I'LL DO ANYTHING!"

"Two plus two, George?"

"I'LL KILL YOU, IF YOU DON'T! I'LL RIP YOU APART!"

"Two plus two."

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Two plus..."

"FOUR, YOU BASTARD!"

"Okay, good, you're listening," Justin took a breath, "Now, we have a theory. We believe that the chemicals you were exposed to has mutated your brain. Its level of activity, how it functions, coincides with the rest of your body. With that in mind, we believe that this may have multiplied your intelligence level at a startling degree."

"THE PAIN! KILL THE PAIN OR I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Be that as it may, George," Justin adjusted his collar, clearing his throat, "We also believe that if we were somehow able to transplant your brain... You would be fine. However, as you can imagine, that is proving to be quite the tricky feat. So, we need you to come up with the plan. We need you to draw the designs. We need you to make this a reality."

"NO!" his voice was a screeching, "YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU! ALL OF YOU! I'LL TEAR YOU TO PIECES, I SWEAR IT!"

"It's the pain causing the rage." Arthur whispered to his boss.

Justin agreed, "George, you can end this nightmare. You can go back to your days as a scientist at A.I.M.. You can..."

"I WANT A.I.M.!"

"Umm..."

"I WANT TO OWN IT! I WANT TO FIRE THAT PIG! I WANT TO BOIL HIS GOD DAMN BONES AND EAT HIM!"

"Wow, okay," Justin wasn't expecting a response quite like that, neither did Arthur, "Interesting visual."

**:::S.H.I.E.L.D.:::**

Director Nick Fury was not a happy man. No major Iron Man sightings meant no major opportunities to do anything to help their cause. If S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted back on the right side of the right people, then they just had to forge some serious headway on this Iron Man situation. And, to this day, Fury just knew somewhere deep down that the Mandarin held vital information. But, the terrorist still hadn't said a damn word.

Nobody understood this better than the Director's assistant, Maria Hill. Answers were needed. And, this stupid waiting around endlessly for Mandarin to talk wasn't getting them anywhere. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and Maria Hill was determined to squeeze some answers out of their prisoner. And with Director Fury currently away on official business with the United Nations, Maria Hill had a little wiggle room to work with.

A club and taser tucked safely in the waistband of her pants, she marched her way down to the lower levels where the prisoners were located. She stopped in front of Mandarin's cell, the guard posted there stepping to the side once it became apparent that she wanted entry.

Maria entered the cell, determined and dead-set on extracting answers...

"I know when someone knows something," she began, "You know something, Mandarin. And we're taking a lot of heat right now that we don't need. So, you better start talking really fast."

Nothing.

"I'm not supposed to tell you this," Maria pulled the club from her waistband, "But, you're scheduled for the chair in six months. That's only half a year. You're only going to be alive for another six months. And, it's all going to be spent here... In this cell... On that bed. We can put a stop to that, though. The Director has the power to call it off if he believes you to be helpful in any way."

"So, feel like being helpful?"

Still nothing.

"What about now?" Hill cracked the club over Mandarin's left shoulder, knocking him forward to the floor where she brought it down two more times across his back, "How about it?"

Silence as he laid on the floor.

"I've done this before, asshole," Maria kicked him before dropping yet another shot down, this one connecting right over his kidneys, "I know exactly how to get the most pain out of you without killing you."

Mandarin maintained his ominous silence.

Her tactics weren't working yet. Time to up the anty. Maria pulled out the taser and aimed it, making sure he could see it clearly, "This will hurt," she said slowly, "The electricity will surge through your body. You won't be able to move. By the third time, smoke will be coming out of your eyes."

"Hill!" a voice echoed from outside of the cell and the door opened, a young man with spiked blonde hair walking in, a name-tag reading Agent Clint Barton, "This is stupid."

"I out-rank you." Hill warned as they exited the cell, the guard locking it behind them.

"I don't give a shit," Clint shook his head, "Fury finds out about this and you're out of a job. Think about it."

"No one would tell!"

"You don't know this guy," Clint gestured to the cell, "You don't know what's going through his mind. You probably just played right into his hands. Did exactly what he wanted you to. You get a brutality tag stuck on you here and it's all over. You know that."

"He knows about Iron Man!" Maria shouted as they boarded an elevator, the doors closing, "Even Fury can see that."

"Doesn't matter," Clint crossed his arms, "If he doesn't talk, then he doesn't talk. Beating the snot out of him is only gonna hurt us. S.H.I.E.L.D. is taking enough shit without you adding to the pile."

"I'm your damn superior, _Hawkeye_," Maria warned once more as the elevator stopped and she walked away, "You better watch your mouth when speaking to me!"

**:::A.I.M. Press Conference:::**

It wouldn't be wrong to draw comparisons between this Press-Conference and the previous one that had been televised globally. Obadiah tried his best not to focus on that, though. This was his moment. Granted, there was a little aid from Justin Hammer. But, at the source, at the very core of the foundation, this was a moment for Obadiah Stane. This was his comeback. This was the fix that was going to put his train back on the tracks and push him forward into the future.

"Alright, first and foremost... Thank you all for attending," Obadiah's greeting as he stood behind the podium, the flash-bulbs in full-effect, "Let me start this off by saying something right off the bat. Advanced Idea Mechanics is once again financially secure. We are past the recent crisis involving the deal between myself and Tony Stark that fell through." he paused before going further.

"I'm sorry, it hurts me to say that. It hurts me to stand here and realize that the friendship I once had with Tony has dissolved. But, much like Tony has done, I need to move forward... Advanced Idea Mechanics needs to move on. And, with some help from Hammer Enterprises, we have done just that. There are details to still iron out, but there are four top contracts that are in the midst of being signed and sealed. And, from there, we estimate that number to triple very soon."

"This is a big relief," Obadiah chuckled, as did others, "I won't blow any smoke and tell you all that we were going to be okay. We weren't. And, I realize that there is still the rest of the mountain to climb. There are people out there who's trust I'm going to try and win back. There are those out there that have said I'm a war monger, and they're entitled to their opinions. I will say this, though. What a lot of people have labeled as me being a war profiteer and endorser, I see as simply trying to protect you all."

"I'm reminded of something Tony Stark said before his change of heart; War is a very bad thing. There's no two ways around it. It is what it is. But, at the same time, it's not going to go away. We, as people, need to accept it as a part of our lives. No more than the loud thunderstorms and different terminal diseases that plague us. Yes, they are horrible. But, what can we do?"

"Tony Stark said that," Obadiah reminded before going further, "And, it's true. It is. I hate it, but the fact of the matter is war is a real thing and it isn't going away anytime soon. That said, we need to ensure our own personal safety and protection. That's where Advanced Idea Mechanics has stepped in. That's where Advanced Idea Mechanics wants to help. That's where Advanced Idea Mechanics will prove to you all that we are genuine and that we are confident we can make this world a better... safer... place."

"Now, how about some questions? Yes, you in the back..."

**:::Stark Tower:::**

_"I'm reminded of something that Tony Stark said before his change of heart..."_

"Turn it off, Vis."

With a click, the plasma screen was cut of its power. Tony didn't need or feel like hearing any more bile spill out of Stane's mouth. Undoubtedly, Obie would be twisting Tony's words around to fit an agenda. The agenda being justifying his choice to remain in the weapons business. Besides, Tony had other things to occupy himself with at this point in time, such as...

Energy efficiency.

Tony was hard at work in his personal lab in his home, drawing up blueprints and roaming through various designs and ideas. His current work-space was cluttered with different drawings, notes, and other odds and ends in relation to his Iron Man suit. It was all to do with energy. How strong it was, how much was sapped from his body, how efficient it was once it was inside of the suit, etc..

Currently, his attention and efforts were devoted to efficiency. Actually, as far as strength, he figured on being pretty much set for the time being. Of course, he would tweak and tinker with everything later, but he didn't want to over-extend himself and lose track of which area he was trying to target at the moment.

Fighting with Fin Fang Foom, the strength of his power was fine. Could have been better, but good enough. He wasn't quite satisfied with other aspects, though. Namely, the efficiency. As noted. So, he was working with a few ideas. He wondered on re-designing the suit. If he did so, the outside would basically look the same, but the inner layers would be wired very differently. To be blunt, it was all about the guts.

If another version of the armor was going to happen, he would need to save the other. Why? Because he didn't want to be caught without anything. A disaster - natural or otherwise - could happen at any second. Therefore, he needed to always be ready. Speaking of which, was there a way to mobilize the armor? That meaning... Carry it with him wherever he went? Hmmm...

No, he needed to focus on the task at hand; Energy efficiency.

Having the suit and battery be replenished by his own natural bio-energy was a great but dangerous idea. The decision had been made, though. His energy source was himself. Not to mention how much it helped with the pain he had always endured prior to the power core in his chest. Now, how to manage it better? How to expand on its life-span without tiring himself too much in the process?

Had to be something that he could do. Like he noted earlier, it had to be all in the guts. Different wiring, different parts, different interior design altogether. For example... If the air isn't flowing through the pipes good enough, then it's time to change the pipes.

"You're not watching it?" Pepper entered the lab in a hurry, shocked to find the TV not on, "Vision, put it on."

Click.

"Off, Vision."

Click.

"He's twisting things you've said," Pepper explained, "Using them to make himself look good. I can't believe Obadiah would stoop so..."

Tony interrupted, "It isn't surprising. I just wish he wasn't dealing with Hammer."

"I don't trust Justin Hammer," Pepper sighed, "It's like Obadiah signed a deal with the devil. Tony, you should talk to him."

"Not gonna happen," Tony shook his head, flipping through different papers on his desk, "His mind's made up, and it's a smart business move on his part."

That's when Pepper realized it. Up until now, it never was an issue. Whenever something that could hurt Tony's name or image came up in the past, it never mattered because Tony's reputation was already trashed and couldn't get any worse. A different story altogether now, though. With the more positive way in which he was carrying himself these days, he needed to consider his reputation. Maintaining it was a must.

"Things are finally looking up for you. People stopped seeing you the way they used to. Obadiah's going to change that if he keeps talking and you don't defend yourself."

"All I can control is myself," Tony replied, "And even that's a struggle. So..."

"Damn it, Tony," Pepper scoffed, "You need to wake up and understand that your public image is more important than ever. You can't let Obadiah or anyone else tear you down. You have too much going for you now."

Tony sighed, annoyed, hating it whenever he was taken away from his work on Iron Man. Pepper had a point, though. A strong one. Tony had more things to consider than previously. The biggest thing being the way in which he was perceived by the public. They had recently seen an Anthony Stark that was a futurist. No longer was he content with manufacturing only weapons. He was looking to solve the energy crisis, build better vehicles and even dig a little deeper into medical research. Build a brighter and more secure future.

What Obadiah Stane had done with the Press-Conference, whether intentional or not, was plant a seed in the public's mind that maybe Tony Stark wasn't quite the changed man that he made himself out to be. That maybe it was all an act.

"I'm not in the mood for another grand council meeting," Tony had an idea, "I'll put it in print. If Obie's gunning for me, then you're right. I have no choice but to gun right back."

**:::S.H.I.E.L.D.:::**

You know when you made your parents so angry that they didn't speak? They would just sit you down and stare at you with those eyes? Nothing but a look. However, it was one that could tear you down better than an explosion.

Director Fury was currently eyeing his assistant. He couldn't believe what she had done. It was beyond him. Did she actually think she was going to break Mandarin that easily? Didn't he teach her better? Hadn't she learned a little better than that? Hell, forget learning, it should have been common sense right then and there. She should have know better in the first place.

Apparently, she didn't. Nor had she learned any lesson.

"If I had five more minutes with him," Maria was busy defending herself, "If Agent Barton hadn't interrupted."

"Agent Barton should be awarded a medal," Director Fury stated the truth, "If Mandarin decides to talk, if other prisoners happen to catch wind of this..."

"He knows about Iron Man!" Maria shouted, her voice echoing in the large office, "If he isn't going to talk, then we should draw it out of him like blood with a needle."

"This isn't appropriate behavior, Hill."

"Two weeks ago, you told me to gather evidence, re-read reports, do whatever I could to dig up information on Iron Man!" she paused, "Well, none of that worked! There's nothing new or useful. My only option was getting Mandarin to talk!"

"This attitude," Fury kept his cool, "This attitude of yours, this shouting, this disrespect. It's all attributing to the decision I am now forced to make. Maria Hill, you are relieved of your duties as my assistant. As of tomorrow, you are a Field Agent."

That hurt worse than being fired. Becoming a Field Agent meant working alongside Clint, "Sir, with all due respect..."

"You acted impulsively inside our Base of Operations," he reminded, scolding in the process, "I can't have that, I can't stand for it. You're one of the good ones, Hill, which is why I picked you to be my assistant. But, acting the way you did today was crossing a line. If this happened out in the field, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. I would be commending you on your bravery in facing someone like Mandarin."

"Sir..."

"This isn't the field, Agent," Fury stood his ground, "This is the Triskelion. We have rules and they must be abided by. Good night, Hill."

"You're making a huge mistake," Hill wanted to keep her position so badly, "I only acted the way I did for the benefit of S.H.I.E.L.D.. The U.N. wants progress, and Mandarin can give it to us."

Fury sat in his chair, looking away, "Good night, Agent Hill."

Damn that Clint Barton!

**:::Hammer Labs:::**

Arthur Parks never thought that he'd see the day, but the horizon was there and in a matter of minutes, the dawn would arrive. In his hands, was a detailed write-up on how it would be possible to transplant George Tarleton's mind into a robotic body. It wasn't quite a brain transplant, however. The idea was to sever Tarleton's head and brain from the rest of his body. On the back page of the makeshift notebook, Arthur found a haunting sketch quickly done by one of the many assistants. It displayed Tarleton's mutated head on a spider-like mechanical body.

A shudder traveled down Arthur's spine.

In charge of this ghastly procedure was the man himself. Justin Hammer, as well as George Tarleton, were counting on Arthur's extensive knowledge and creativity with lasers to handle the job appropriately. And while he was certainly up to the challenge, he would have been lying if he said he wasn't nervous. He trembled and quaked, walking down the halls into the room where it would all happened.

Walking through the sliding door, there was his patient. To the side of the room, protected accordingly, was what would be his new body if this all went off without a hitch. Tarleton was unconscious, supplied numerous heavy doses of sedatives. Above the patient was a large machine hanging safely from the ceiling. When ready, it would come to life and make a precise incision, which would then disconnect Tarleton's head and neck. From that point, it was up to Arthur and his assistants to hook what was left of Tarleton into the robotic apparatis.

Hopefully, everything would work. Hopefully, this all wasn't a waste of time.

From above and behind the plate glass window, Justin Hammer watched with subtle impatience. The sooner this was over, the better. And, if it was a success, the chemical that started it all would be worked on further.

The process had begun. Everyone watched eagerly as the lasers worked their magic. Once that part of the process was completed, Arthur and his assistants acted quickly, picking up George's head and attaching it to the mechanical body. It was gruesome and vomit-inducing, but they were able to accomplish the task. Now all that was left to do was use another laser to fuse man and machine together. In moments, that part was done.

Not a single person there were truthfully expecting positive results. Another truth, they were all sick to their stomachs, feeling regretful and guilty, even Justin Hammer. The reality of the situation sinking in as they stared at the lifeless bloody stump sitting in that mechanical body. They had just killed an innocent man and put his body on display like some twisted trophy.

They waited.

And they waited.

Then came their success in the form of George Tarleton opening his freakishly large eyes. With them all watching in anticipation, he wore a bloody grim smile.

_**THE ASTONISHING IRON MAN**_

Not the greatest but it _sets up a lot_. Whitney Frost, M.O.D.O.K. is born and Stane is back in business, though only because of Hammer. Plus, there's some dissension within the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D. as the pressure of Iron Man is felt. Which leads me to something that I like about this arc.

There's no Iron Man, but his presence is greatly felt. The scenes without Tony, you still feel his presence and that he's unknowingly pushing these events along. You kinda have this feeling that Tony Stark/Iron Man is propelling our world into the future. Which should be good, but no one is ready for it, so you have people making these hasty decisions left and right... Maria Hill assaulting Mandarin, Stane basically handing over his best scientist and shaking hands with Justin Hammer.


	8. Vanko Part I

Quick Note. I have a FictionPress account. Same as here, ZeroBen. So, if anyone should take an interest, that's where my original work will be. Right now, three stories. One about a zombie apocalypse called **"Kill The Dead"** and one soon to be posted... A romance/action entitled **"Special Powers" **which yes involves characters with special abilities. I'm not telling people to check them out. But, if the mood should strike, I could always use more reviews. **"Kill The Dead"** is my main project started in late November that I love but it's not successful. I plan on updating it tomorrow, though.

Anyway, onto the next chapter of...

**The Astonishing Iron Man**

**Chapter 8- "Vanko" Part I**

Twenty-five year old Anton Vanko navigated through the streets of his hometown, Volstok. The small Russian village wasn't known for anything at all, barely even a blip on the radar, a speck of dirt on the map. He was on his way home from the local community school. He was taking special classes on Physics in the hopes of one day becoming a true Physicist.

He jogged through the same old path that he took every school day. As always, he was in a hurry. Not to the point that he was rushing or out of breath. He just wanted to get home before his father, Igor Vanko, finished cooking dinner. This was especially the case when Igor was preparing his famous beef stew. With potatoes on the side, it was a meal fit for a king.

During his trip home on this particular night, Anton came upon a troubling scene at a street corner. There were this group of older men beating on a High School kid, robbing him of what little money he had. Anton ducked behind the corner of a building, keeping out of sight. This saddened Anton, as it seemed a pandemic that was fast spreading throughout the town. A crime family had moved in, seeing Volstok as an easy target.

Momentarily, the older men left the scene, leaving the kid in a puddle of his own blood. With the coast clear, Anton quickly ran over to the boy, kneeling down and helping him up.

"Are you alright?" Anton asked in Russian.

"No," the boy cried softly, wiping blood from his lips and wincing at a stinging black eye, "They took the money I was meant to buy my family dinner with."

Anton helped him to stand, then dug through his pockets, "I have some."

The boy seemed apprehensive of accepting the kind gesture.

"Take it," Anton pressed gently, "It's extra, and you need it more than I do."

The boy nodded, holding his hand open as Anton dropped the money into his palm, "Thank you so much. I won't forget this. What is your name?"

"Anton."

"Oleg."

"I need to be going now," Anton said, "Are you okay to be by yourself?"

"Yes," the boy nodded again, "Thank you, again."

"Welcome."

Then Anton went back on his way home to his father. The walk wasn't much longer, maybe fifteen minutes. As he opened the front door to the small house, he was instantly hit with the aroma wafting in the air from the kitchen. It smelled so good, just as he imagined it would all day long. Anton dropped his backpack at the door for now and went straight to the kitchen, noticing he was a few minutes late.

"A first," his father greeted, having just started pouring the stew into two bowls, "You have never been late for this before."

Anton grabbed his bowl and took a seat at the table, "I witnessed a mugging."

Igor's face grew trouble, "Oh no, are you alright?"

"Yes, yeah," he assured his father, "They robbed him. I hope you don't mind, but I gave him the extra money I had."

Igor sighed. Two different emotions to sort. On one hand, he was proud of his son for helping. On the other, he was also disappointed. These days, helping people just wasn't worth it. You never knew what was lurking in the shadows, watching you do so. There were certain people in Volstok that didn't take kindly at all to someone helping their victims.

"I wish you hadn't." the honest answer from Igor.

"They beat him, took his money," Anton explained before diving into his stew, "I couldn't just walk away."

"I understand, but you must remember that there are those who do not like that. The eyes are everywhere, watching everyone."

"We need to take our town back," maybe it was the adrenaline, but Anton wanted to take a stand, "If we don't soon, they will walk on us forever."

"Just eat your stew while it's hot," his father urged, wanting to forget about the incident explained to him by his son, "I put extra carrots in, just like you always ask."

Anton loved his father to death. In this world, all they had was each other. However, he never agreed with the way that his father dealt with different problems and issues. He tried sweeping everything under the rug or ignoring it. It wasn't healthy. Despite being hurtful, you needed to deal with problems. Letting them linger or fester was dangerous.

Dinner passed.

As usual, Igor retired to be soon after the meal. He worked early hours. This prevented the father and son from spending much time together. But, it was what it was. Anton swore to his father that once he was finished with his school and got a job as an official physicist, Igor wouldn't need to work one more day in his life. He could relax everyday.

There was a television in the den. The only one they could afford, and without cable. The reception of the local channel was snowy at best, but at least still watchable. Anton sat in the old recliner with the warm blanket and a glass of cold milk in his hand. As he sat down, their cat, Marcus, hopped into his lap, purring lovingly.

The World News was just beginning...

_"Earlier today, another Iron Man sighting. This time, in the skies over London. An Airliner had been hijacked by an as of yet unidentified terrorist. Quickly on the case was Iron Man, who managed to rescue all the hostages, as well as save the plane itself. In a heartwarming and heroic scene, each of the passengers lined up and personally thanked Iron Man after being rescued. Eighty year-old Martha Harris was the one who orchestrated the show of gratitude..."_

_"He saved us. If Iron Man wasn't there, we would have all been gone. I love him, and I'm deeply gracious. He really is a Superhero." the elderly woman explained with tears in her eyes._

Intrigued, Anton watched very closely.

_"The level of interaction Iron Man engaged in today has brought many to a conclusion; There is an actual human being inside the suit of armor. Now, with that in mind, we are left to wonder... Who?"_

Iron Man. An honest to goodness Superhero. Someone dedicated to fighting the good fight. In a world where monstrous creatures now exist, he was someone that everyone else needed. But, Anton had to wonder... What about Volstok? What about the crime living inside of his hometown? Would Iron Man someday come to rescue everyone like he had done with the hijacked plane?

Anton wanted to believe that he would. He wanted to take for granted that all his worries and fears would be put to rest. That Iron Man would swoop in one sun-filled afternoon and completely wipe out the the plague that was the criminal element of Volstok.

That wouldn't be happening, though. And, even if it did, most likely it would be too late. Everyday, another street corner was claimed, another victim left quivering on the ground, drowning in their own tears. Iron Man wasn't there today. Iron Man wasn't the one that helped Oleg up to his feet, brushed him off and gave him money to buy food for his family.

It was Anton Vanko.

But, while Anton Vanko could do some, he couldn't do it all. At least, not as a normal man. Everything would change if he had an armor like Iron Man. The rules, the game itself, altered dramatically.

Sitting in the chair, the milk all gone, the cat asleep, the remote at his arm, realization was born. No one would help Volstok. The once quiet little town was left alone and cold, forced to fend for itself against the predators lurking in the shadows. Anton needed to step up. Anton needed to assume the role of Iron Man on behalf of all the innocent people of Volstok. Helping that innocent boy today had filled Anton with an idea spurned on by a disgust for the way things had become.

Anton Vanko knew in that moment that he was going to transform himself into something that could combat the criminals. With that decided upon, only one questioned remained...

How?

**:::Stark Tower:::**

Once again, Tony Stark was back in the lab. Today was one of the good ones. And admittedly, it felt really good to have those people show their gratitude the way they did. Although, he wasn't much of a fan of hugging. Gave him the creeps for some reason. Nevertheless, the day had went well. Could have been disastrous considering how many people were aboard that flight.

And as far as his recent efficiency woes, they were a thing of the past. Today was the test run of the new system he implemented inside of the armor, and it worked like a charm. Granted, today wasn't as difficult a test as say tangling with an ancient mythical dragon, but it was what it was. And what it was... was a success.

"Scans show that the armor is at one-hundred percent working order." Vision had just completed a scan on the armor Tony wore today.

"Thanks, Vis," Tony turned away, clicking the television on to catch a little news, "Let's see if they have anything else to say about Iron Man."

_"The level of interaction between Iron Man and the survivors has raised an interesting fact; Do we have our answer as to what is inside of that armor? Can we now believe that there is a human being piloting the Iron Man suit? We may not have fool-proof evidence, but all the survivors have said the same thing... 'It felt like I was talking to an actual human being.' . Which brings us to another question that now we search for an answer; Who is underneath the armor? Who is the pilot? Who is the individual that has saved already thousands of people since first appearing a couple months ago?"_

_"In other news tonight, crime is on the rise. Surprising to say the least. The criminals of this world have in the past week started upping the ante. Bigger weapons, stronger weapons. More firepower, more ammunition. The stakes have been raised and experts predict that they will only continue to do so."_

Maybe television was a bad idea. The screen was shutdown as Tony took a seat, crossing his arms, taking a quiet moment to reflect. He supposed that it made sense for the bad guys to evolve a little. After all, it was basically what he did when creating Iron Man. He wasn't banking on everything happening so fast, though. Which, he guessed, made it all the more important that he keep tinkering and tweaking the armor. If he was going to be Iron Man and successfully protect the people who needed it, he had to be above and beyond his adversaries.

Playing with the same armor would eventually not cut it anymore. Tony knew this already, but wasn't expecting things to escalate quite so quickly. If he was going to stay ahead of the game like he wanted to, then there would be a need to create new armors in advance. Alright, he loved that idea. But now there was the question of what would he design next?

"Mr. Stark?" Jarvis' voice came on over the intercom system.

"Yeah, Jarvis?"

"Lt. Rhodes is here to see you."

"Alright, I'll be up in a minute."

**:::Volstok, Russia:::**

Working by soft candlelight, Anton sat at his makeshift desk, sketching. What if he could do what Iron Man was doing? What if Anton could save and protect the people of Volstok? The innocent ones? The ones that rightfully deserved protection? He wanted to do it. He wanted to become the Volstok version of Iron Man. Anton wanted to become a Super-hero. Not for the glory or the honor. Simply because these people deserved better than the ones currently in charge of ensuring their safety.

He was currently sketching a suit. It was very reminiscent of the Iron Man armor. But, upon finishing it, Anton realized it would be too difficult to power a suit like that. Volstok had limited resources. If he was to obtain anything, it would be from the factory where his father worked. It was a main shipping and distribution area for a lot of Russia. Not all, but a size-able amount.

His next drawing consisted of what he saw being a half-armor. His forearms, upper body and lower legs would be protected by the armor. Come to think of it, he would also need a mask. He would also need durable gauntlets on his hands and wrists. Anton had an idea...

He vaguely recalled a story his father had told him when he was a child. The story of 'The Knout'. A long long time ago in Russia, corruption had ravaged a quiet village into submission. This went on for three long years of darkness and despair. Innocent villagers cowered in fear inside of their homes. Children weren't able to play in their own yards. Even those who hadn't become a victim, were still suffering. Then came one shining day, a hero calling himself The Knout. With his whips and mask, he combated the crimelords until the village was saved and returned to its former glory.

In the sketch, two strengthened whips extended from the gauntlets, crackling with electricity. In the middle of the chest, a power core like Iron Man's. Which would be a major hurdle to jump over. If Anton was to use the whips as he had envisioned in his mind's eye, then he had to create a decent duplication of the battery inside of Iron Man's chest. Assuming, of course, that emblem was indeed a source of power and not just a fancy decoration like the S on Superman's chest.

This was going to require some serious thinking.

**:::Stark Tower:::**

"Rhodey, how's business?" Tony greeted his best friend with a handshake and pat on the back.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing."

Tony gestured for them to take a seat on one of his many expensive pieces of furniture, "Keeping busy trying to clear my name. No thanks to Obie."

"Yeah, I saw that," Rhodes acknowledged, "I was wondering if you would say anything or not. Pepper musta gotten to you."

"That she did," Tony sat back comfortably, propping his feet on the coffee table in front of them, "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Rhodes took a breath, relaying a serious tone with his posture as he sat up forward, "I know it's you."

Tony cocked a brow, "Okay, I'll bite. What is me?"

"And I'm okay with it," Rhodey decided to stand, somewhat pacing the floor, "But, to be honest, It's kind of bugging me that you didn't tell me about it."

"You might as well be speaking in Swedish, pal, I got no idea what you're talking about."

"Iron Man," Rhodey spelled it out, "I know it's you because you got the same thing in your chest that he does."

"Still not following."

Rhodes laughed, crossing his arms, "I knew you would deny it."

"I'm not so much denying as I'm telling you that you're wrong."

"You're not Iron Man?"

"I'm not Iron Man."

"I don't believe that."

Tony shrugged casually, "Doesn't change the fact that I'm not..."

"This is stupid, Tony," Rhodey knew it for a fact, it wasn't speculation. Tony Stark was Iron Man. No two ways around it, "I want to help."

"If you wanna help Iron Man," Tony stood, "Then you're going to have to go to his house... Not mine."

"It's a big world out there, man. I'm sure you heard on the news about the new study?"

"The one about criminals upping their arsenals because of Iron Man? Yeah, I did. But, it doesn't have anything to do with me."

"One man can't solve all the world's problems," Rhodey wanted in on the action, "Two Iron Men can cover a lot more ground than just one."

"Again," Tony remained defiant, "Not my problem, buddy."

Tony started walking away, wanting no more of this conversation. Rhodey was sniffing for information, and while Tony had nothing but love for his friend, he had the distinct feeling that Rhodes would relay anything he learned back to his superiors in the military. The last thing Tony needed was interference by cranky stubborn old men telling him how to do his job.

"Tony, c'mon, it's not like I'll spill the beans," Rhodey followed him, "You can trust me."

"This isn't a trust issue," Tony explained, trying his damndest to convince his friend, "This isn't even a me and you thing. This is just me standing here and telling you the truth. I'm not Iron Man. The very idea is preposterous. I mean, me? Half the time, I can barely get out of bed."

Rhodes shook his head, "That was the old you. The new Tony Stark is a better man. Stronger. I know that you're Iron Man."

Tony sighed, "Then have me investigated. Okay? What do you want from me? I'm not Iron Man. I don't have super-powered suits, I'm not flying around the world. I've been lounging all day in my jammies."

"Jammies?"

"Damn straight."

"Okay, look," Rhodes sighed, "You know where to find me if you decide to own up."

"What? You're just going to leave now? I got a stack of pizza's flying in from San Fran. Stay for a slice."

"You don't trust me," Rhodes left, "Which means we're not as good of friends as I thought."

And just like that, Tony was alone. Well, in a general sense that is. Jarvis and Pepper were still there.

"That went well." Tony remarked sarcastically, running both hands over his black hair.

**:::Volstok, Russia:::**

On certain days, the warehouse in which Igor Vanko worked was empty. Only certain days. Luckily for Anton, this was one of those days. Or actually, nights. Under the blanket of darkness, Anton left his home and sleeping father behind, leaving a note on the kitchen table just in case. A harmless lie, Anton scribbled that he had forgotten an important text book at school and had to go get it immediately.

The Volstok Distribution Warehouse was actually on the very outskirts of the town. Anton was atop a small hill, mixed in with a set of thick trees, looking down upon the building through binoculars. A couple guards to contend with. Anton was figuring on a confrontation, but hadn't really thought about it. To break into the facility and take the proverbial ingredients for his recipe, he would be breaking the law. Essentially, becoming the thing he was determined to eliminate.

It was the only way, though. It wasn't like he couldn't just create this stuff out of thin air. Surely, even Iron Man had to break a few eggs before cooking his omelet.

Bad metaphors aside, Anton quietly and carefully maneuvered his way down the hill, running quickly over to a parked truck, leaning against the side pointed away from the guards and building. His heart was racing. He feared he may start hyperventilating. If that was the case, this whole thing would be all over. Regret started seeping in, flowing through his veins, battling his determination. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe he should have just run back up that hill and return home with nobody the wiser.

No.

The people of Volstok needed this... They needed him. Someone had to take a stand, it needed to be him. He was the only person he trusted enough in this world to see it through.

Anton slowly slipped underneath the truck, crawling to the opposite side. Luckily for him, there was a wealth of shadows between he and the side entrance. Not too many lights, they must have been trying to save on their electricity bill. Anton picked himself up and ran as quickly and quietly as he could to the side of the building, ducking down beside a concrete ramp leading to a large garage door.

He could see the door from where he was. The side entrance. There was no alarm tied to it. In seconds, there would be a guard coming around the corner to check. Moving quickly was a must for Anton. That in mind, he sprang up and opened the door softly, slipping inside un-noticed and un-detected.

The building was filled with exactly what you would expect such a place to be filled with. Fork-lifts, large crates, boxes everywhere, trailers, hand-trucks. There were another two guards inside. So far, they were unaware of an intruder in their midst. With any more luck, Anton would be able to keep it that way.

Courtesy of many trips with his father during his childhood years, Anton knew this place like the back of his own two hands. He knew where everything was, and exactly where the stuff that no one wanted anyone else to know about would be hidden. He moved stealthily to a back room where no one else was located, thus giving him the chance to breathe a little easier for a few moments.

He took a flashlight out of his jacket and started looking around at the different packages, boxes and crates filled with whatever. It took a couple tense minutes, but he managed to find the object of his desire in one of the back corners. A wooden crate nailed shut, filled with Styrofoam balls and bubble-wrap. He spotted a crowbar and began opening the crate. After doing so, he dug through the balls and wrap until he was able to touch said object of desire.

Industrial strength cables used by criminals as whips for torture. Let's see how they liked their own weapons being used against them. Of course, they would need to be greatly modified for the use he had in mind, but Anton was sure they would get the job done.

Hearing foot-steps approaching from beyond the door, Anton quickly turned off the flashlight and laid on the floor behind the wooden crates. The door was opened, the guard clicking on the light. He never saw Anton, though, and simply turned the light off and shut the door.

Anton breathed a breath of relief and sat up, turning his flashlight back on. Searching through other crates, he found the rest of what he needed. A harness and plates of metal that could be manipulated into armor. Now all he had left to search for was something he could use as a storage device for the battery in the chest. That could be found elsewhere, though.

_**THE ASTONISHING IRON MAN**_


	9. Vanko Part II

**The Astonishing Iron Man**

**Chapter 9- "Vanko" Part II**

Anton Vanko attended a special class at his school. An advanced Physics lecture about energy and different ways in which various people were going about harnessing it. He took notes, any bit of information that may have been the slightest bit useful, he made certain was written down.

With recent savings in his pocket, Anton took a walk out to a local department store. He purchased a total of three different car batteries and plenty of cables. Also, hair dye and extensions.

His father away at work, Anton was busy in the basement, working by a lantern, designing the instrument of Volstok's liberation. Forging the armor was easy, as was creating the mask. Getting the power core charged enough to work without being wired to a battery was another story altogether. But, he had faith in himself and his abilities.

At the local Library, Anton went on the Internet, scanning the web for images, articles, videos, about Iron Man. With each new picture that loaded, Anton's eyes immediately zoomed in on the power core. It had to be a power core. Iron Man didn't strike Anton as the type that wanted window dressing. With pages coming out of the printer, Anton continued searching.

Anton picked his head up out of the bathroom sink, his new long locks of green hair whipping back. He sniffed and wiped his eyes, looking at himself in the mirror. A drastic departure from the short black curls he had before.

In the basement, Anton worked on welding. Once the sparks were done flying, he took off the welder's mask and picked up his new creation. An all white metal mask with eye holes. He held it up to his face, tilting his head to the side as he looked at his reflection in the glass behind him. He could feel himself leaving behind his natural born identity. He was transforming into something else...

Something more than man.

**:::Stark Meeting:::**

It had occurred to Tony as of late, that the Military hadn't take his new outlook on his company seriously. They either thought he was joking around being his old bonehead self, or simply saw it as a fad or phase that he was going through. And despite how much they didn't believe him at all, Tony could not have been any more serious or honest when he announced months ago that he was out of the weapons business.

At the current point in time, he was speaking to Secretary of Defense, Stan Ellis...

"We all understand, Stark, we really do."

"Obviously, Stan, you don't," Stark interrupted, "Because... if you did... you'd know that I can't offer what you're asking. It just is not going to happen. I don't know how I could possibly be any clearer."

"Your stance on this topic is admirable," Mr. Ellis resumed, "It is honorable. But, in this day and age, it doesn't make sense. It isn't a matter of what's right and wrong, what's ethical and unethical. It is a matter of protecting the American people. It is a matter of national security."

"Hammer's still in the business," Tony mentioned, "Advanced Idea Mechanic's stock is rising, last I heard. There are others in this game, Ellis. I'm not the only one in town."

Secretary Ellis laughed heartily, "They don't compare. What made your weapons superior was your own personal inventive genius."

"Look," Tony cut through the crap, "I get that everyone's pissed off at me now. Hell, I'd be too. But, I've made my decision and I'm going to stand by it. Stark Industries will no longer manufacture weapons. And, to be honest, I'm sick and tired of repeating that."

"You're turning your back on the people that made you who you are!"

"My parents made me who I am," Tony stood his ground defiantly, "Not you, not S.H.I.E.L.D., no one else."

Secretary Ellis took a deep breath, trying to think of something that would change Stark's mind. One phrase that would make everything better. It was difficult to do so. He couldn't come up with anything good enough. Standing there, thinking, he was helpless to watch as Tony Stark left the room.

Left with no other options, the Secretary of Defense reached for his phone.

**:::A.I.M.:::**

Obadiah Stane didn't believe it at first. But, seeing was believing. Right in front of his own two eyes was video footage of the brand new George Tarleton in all his gruesome and grotesque glory. The man was reduced to a jumbo-sized head cradled in a mechanical spider-like body with a nasty attitude to boot.

Obadiah was inside his personal office, watching the footage on his laptop. He had been sent it via Email by Justin Hammer. In the video, George declared in a wretched voice that he craved revenge on Stane and that he was no longer George Tarleton...

"I AM M.O.D.O.K.!"

After the video finished, it then deleted itself from the hard drive. Justin Hammer wanted Obadiah to see this and no one else. Obadiah sat back in his chair, mind lost to thoughts as his fingers brushed against his beard. If he had known what was going to ultimately happen to George... He would have never agreed. He felt guilt and remorse, felt disgust in himself. However, the deal did save his business from the clutches of failure.

Hammer was making some serious leaps and bounds. Yes, Stane was back in business. But, if he wanted to keep his climb going, he was going to need to dabble in some more unsavory activities. This was a new world, after all, right? Iron Man changed things, altered the very fabric of reality. There were Superheroes battling mythical dragons. There were disembodied heads sitting in robotic bodies.

Stane needed something. He needed an idea. He was reminded of his wanting to duplicate the armor. That seemed impossible now with George long gone in more ways than one. However, these days, the impossible was a bit more possible.

Obadiah smiled to himself.

**:::Volstok, Russia:::**

His father had the opportunity to work an extra shift. As always, he took it. Unintentionally, he suppled his son with more time to work on his project. And Anton was almost done. In fact, everything was complete except for the battery. He had made it as far as to be able to use the power core without having it connected to the car batteries. But, the supply didn't strike him as efficient enough for the type of use he had in mind.

The only option he had at the moment was draining all three batteries into it. Now, to be honest, this core looked very much like Iron Man's, but Anton had no way of truly knowing whether or not it had the same insides. And he could only hope that it worked well enough for his mission to be accomplished.

Anton stood away from the table, picking up one of the armored gauntlets he would be wearing around his hand and wrist. Attached to it was one of the cables he had stolen from his father's warehouse. Theoretically, the cable would act as an electrified whip. A weapon that was sure to send the scum running away with their tails between their legs.

He was so close that he could taste it on his lips, on the tip of his tongue.

**:::Tony Stark:::**

Alongside Pepper Potts, Tony was on his way to his private jet which would take him back home. As luck would have it, he managed to bump into Rhodey before boarding said jet. After enduring another long conversation with the Secretary of Defense, Tony wasn't exactly in the mood to dodge more Iron Man theories.

"Tony," Rhodes had to jog to catch up to his friend, "Slow down for a second."

Tony acted surprised when he finally turned around, "Oh, look who it is, Ms. Potts. The Wild Accusation Man. Tell me, Wild Accusation Man, do you have any more wild accusations to throw at me?"

The expression on Rhodey's face told the tale of this being a serious visit. Taking the cue, Tony gestured for him to join he and Pepper on the jet. Once aboard, the conversation began...

Rhodes looked his best friend square in the eyes, complete and full contact, "There's been a robbery in a Russian distribution warehouse. I thought you might be interested in knowing an entire shipment is now missing."

"What's the shipment?" Tony played curious, though this was no confession of him being Iron Man.

Pepper was intrigued, wondering how Tony would act. Asking what he just had, he was toeing dangerous waters already.

"Power Wires and new prototype military armor."

Tony appeared troubled, "If it's what I think it is, it's mine."

"Stark Industries stamp of approval."

"Yours?" Pepper was confused, "It's been three months since the distribution cut-off. What is your stuff doing at a distribution warehouse in Russia?"

"Good question." the gears were spinning in Tony's mind. How long until he could get Rhodey out of his hair so Iron Man could pull some investigation time? Wait... shit! If Stark acted on this, then his friend would have the evidence he desired to prove he was indeed Iron Man. But, damn it, if his old military tech was still being distributed around the world - not to mention stolen from the supposed distributors - then he couldn't just sit on his ass waiting until an appropriate amount of time until...

Tony smirked from the side of his lips. There was an easy way to take care of this. He pulled out a cell phone from his breast pocket, preparing to dial the appropriate number, "Where in Russia, Jimbo?"

"Volstok."

"How's it hangin', Vision?" Stark spoke into his phone, "Listen, make it known; There is a distribution warehouse in Volstok, Russia that has recently been robbed. The merchandise, as it were, stolen was old Stark Tech which could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. I want a red alert on this one, Vis. Widespread blanket. I also want immediate attention on any and all Stark Tech that is currently not supposed to be shipping. You know what's in and what's out."

"Uploading information now."

Stark turned off the phone, sticking it in his pocket, "That takes care of that."

"You can't fool me," Rhodey smiled sarcastically, "I know it's you. I know that you're Iron Man. I'm your best friend, Tony. Why don't you just 'fess up and get it over with? We could work together. We could be a team."

"Trust me, I would if I could." Tony sighed, "There's just nothing for me to confess to."

Rhodey was disappointed. He was planning on this being the big break he needed to make Tony admit that he was the armored hero. No such luck, though. Once again, Tony Stark was a step ahead. Rhodes knew Tony was Iron Man, and Tony knew that Rhodes knew what the deal was. At this point, it was just a matter of backing Tony into a corner that he wasn't able to shimmy his way out of.

"I should be going," Rhodey made his exit from the jet, "I'll let you know if I hear anything more."

"I'll have my phone on me." Tony patted his pocket gently.

Following lift-off, Pepper scowled at her employer, arms crossed as she buckled into her seat, "I cannot believe you."

"What?"

"You have known him since Junior High," she explained, "He deserves to know. And, it's not like he hasn't already figured it out."

Tony disagreed, "He's only working on assumptions right now. That's all."

"Assumptions?" she scoffed, "He knows the truth. I can see it in his eyes. Not to mention, he's seen that thing in your chest."

"Fine, okay, it's obvious that he;s onto me," Tony submitted to his assistant, "But, that does not mean that I'm going to admit it."

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is huge. Right now, he can't prove it. He can't honestly say with one-hundred percent certainty that I am Iron Man. Okay? He just can't."

"But, he knows!"

"He thinks. He assumes. He hypothesises. He doesn't _know_," Tony explained, "Until he sees me in that suit with my helmet off - and even then it's a stretch - he does not know for sure that I'm Iron Man."

"Well, in that case, I think you should just come out with it. Honestly, I think it's childish that you don't."

"I have my reasons."

"What reasons could be good enough to justify keeping your best friend in the dark?"

"He's a Marine, hello?" Tony waved his hand around humorously...

"That's just rude." referring to his behavior.

"As of this moment, there are are only four people and one Artificial Intelligence Unit that know about my super-heroic exploits. And, I'd like to keep it that way, thank you very much."

"Oh, I get it," it sunk in, "You think he's going to let everyone know?"

"And Bingo was his name-o."

"That is insane, Tony, he wouldn't do that to you in a million years," which she believed, "He would never sell you out."

"I'm gonna take a snooze," Tony rested his head back and closed his eyes, "Gimme a nudge when we land."

"No you don't..."

Pepper was interrupted by fake snoring.

"Unbelievable."

**:::Volstok, Russia:::**

Anton had returned home from his classes for the day. Upon entering through the front door, he was confronted by his father, who was holding the mask Anton had created yesterday. The look on the old man's face would fall into the none-too-pleased category...

"What is this?"

"Hobby." Anton wasn't ready to spill the truth yet.

"Hobby?" his father repeated, eyes appearing as if they would cry, lips twisting into a frown, "Tell me it wasn't you. Tell me that it wasn't my son that robbed the warehouse last week. Tell me that with an open heart and I will believe you."

Anton had hurt his father in a way that wasn't forgivable. His pride and dignity had been stung. His father was a man of honor. A man that wouldn't stand for this sort of behavior from his son. Anton couldn't speak the truth, nor could he lie. Therefore, he was silent.

Unintentionally, his silence spoke louder than his words ever could.

Igor nearly cried, "YOU TELL ME! YOU TELL YOUR FATHER!"

A lump formed in the back of Anton's throat. After a shuddering breath, the truth came, "Yes. I'm sorry, but yes."

"How could you!" Igor threw the mask down to the wooden floor, beside himself, "My own son. My own flesh and blood. A thief? A-A criminal? Have you no respect? No dignity?"

"I had to."

"No," his father would hear none of that, "Lies. No one has to steal. It is wrong."

Anton's head shook, "You don't understand."

"There is nothing to understand!"

"I'm going to help people!" Anton shouted, "I am going to liberate Volstok. By my hands, the darkness will be lifted and we will all be free to live peacefully again. Just like before. Just like when I was a child."

"You think you're Iron Man?" Igor nearly laughed, "You think you are a big hero? You are a thief! My son... The thief."

"I can't do it without help," Anton explained, still standing in place, "I need the armor and the whips. And, I just learned how to make the power core work. Father, I can do this. I can fight for our freedom and win it back."

"I am calling the Police," Igor turned for the phone but was stopped by Anton grabbing his arm, "Let me go, Anton."

"You would do this to your own son?"

"What? You have gone against your father. What is so different?"

Anton hesitated for a moment. The power core wasn't ready yet. He would never live with himself if he had come this close only to lose it all. This was his father, though. He was defying his father. He was outright manhandling his own flesh and blood... The man who had helped to bring him into this world.

"Forgive me." Anton muttered, raising a clenched fist and literally knocking his father unconscious.

Anton held onto Igor before he could hit the floor. He then dragged the old man upstairs and tied him to the bed for now. The entire time, Anton could literally envision a prison in hell being forged for him. It was a necessary evil, though. No two ways around it. Anton now had a destiny in his grasp. A calling that beckoned to him through whispers in his ears.

Wasting no more precious time, Anton took to the basement, picking up his mask along the way. He had a project to finish.

**:::Stark Tower:::**

He wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation, but that didn't stop him from doing so. Tony wanted to pay a visit to this Volstok. However, he knew that his phone would be ringing off the hook with people wanting to hear his thoughts. In hindsight, admitting he was Iron Man would have been a lot easier than alerting the world so that Iron Man had a decent excuse. Always 20/20, though, right?

Therefore, Tony recorded differing statements and logged them into the computer system. If called upon, he prepared Vision to play them. It was the best he could do. Time was of the essence. Generally speaking, people that stole Stark Tech didn't wait around long to start using it. Iron Man was needed in Volstok. Some good old fashioned detective work was on the menu. Not really Iron Man's forte, but he was willing to adapt to suit the situation.

"You're going right now?" Pepper entered the lab just in time to see the helmet come down onto Tony's head.

"Duty calls."

"The phone is ringing off the hook," she said, in a panic, "The news is wondering if Obadiah's insinuations were right. You need to speak in person."

"I can't be in two places at once."

"You could if you let Jimmy..."

"Not now, Pepper," Tony barked, the eyes lighting up, "I got a flight to catch."

Seconds later, he was flying through the secret tunnel, en route to Russia. Pepper was not happy with this at all.

**:::A.I.M.:::**

Obadiah couldn't help but smile as he watched the news coverage, sitting back in his chair with a shot of whiskey in his hand...

_"What does this mean for Stark Industries credibility? There were murmurs and rumors that Mr. Stark wasn't out of the weapons business just yet. However, he denied all accusations. That being said, today we learn from an anonymous source that a shipment of Stark Tech - which has been revealed to be weapons - has been stolen away from a distribution warehouse in Volstok, Russia. Sources in the shipping industry say that if Mr. Stark had truly finalized a cut-off date three months ago, then something like this would have never happened. So, we now wait to see and hear from Tony Stark. What will he have to say?"_

The smile on Obadiah's face grew wider.

**:::Volstok, Russia:::**

"They will be here any minute. Hurry!"

The Distribution Warehouse was cleared of all its workers by a gang of criminals. To make sure they were understood, they murdered an older gentleman just a year or two away from retirement. Put a bullet right through the back of his skull as he begged for mercy.

There were ten of them. All with a gun in hand. On the outside, there were more making sure their goods were being evacuated before the police or anyone else arrived. And just when it seemed that everything was going to be okay for them, they heard a loud thud on the ceiling. They each looked up, aiming their weapons, ready to fire, to kill.

Tense moments passed until a circle was cut out of the ceiling and it dropped straight down, a shrouded figure standing on top of it, leaping off just before it hit the ground. Two long blue whips of electricity extended from its hands, tearing through four of the criminals before hitting the floor, rolling behind cover.

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

"KILL IT!"

"DIMITRI!"

One of the thugs was braver than the others that were rattled. He stepped forward, weapon aimed. He made it to the piece of machinery that the attacker had used as cover. He peered over the edge, only to be decapitated by one of the whips.

"NO! WHO ARE YOU?"

"HIS HEAD! IT CUT OFF HIS HEAD!"

The figure then sprang up into the air, somersaulting as the men unloaded their ammo into it. Shockingly, the bullets merely ricocheted off it, the sounds echoing. One of the men were killed by a stray bullet, another wounded in his shooting arm. One with bad aim ended up dead via the electric whips.

The shrouded figure stood in the centre as the rest of the men reloaded their weapons. The whips came to life, taking them out with ease, one of them getting sliced in half. Blood and body parts were everywhere. There was one more thug, but he had dropped his weapon, his body crippled in fear as the attacker walked closer and closer, each step meant to intimidate more and more.

"Tell them," the shroud was pulled off, revealing a transformed Anton Vanko, "I am here now. Criminals no longer have a home nor profit in Volstok."

"Wh-wh-who a-are you?"

"..."

"Wh-what's your name?"

His head tilted slightly to the side, the metal shining in the light, "_Whiplash_."

_**THE ASTONISHING IRON MAN**_


	10. Vanko Part III

**The Astonishing Iron Man**

**Chapter 10- "Vanko" Part III**

Too little, too late.

As Iron Man reached his destination of Volstok, Russia, he was immediately met by a graphic and harrowing display of sheer brutality. There had to be over two dozen mutilated bodies. And I do mean mutilated. Body parts cut into pieces, torn into shreds. Blood and gore everywhere. The warehouse was splattered gruesomely, bathed in the violence.

Police officials surrounded the area, multiple emergency vehicles as well. Tony could only hope that Iron Man was welcomed as he slowly, cautiously, lowered himself down to ground level.

"Iron Man," one of the policemen, presumably the Chief, spoke in a broken accent, "Thank god you are here. A horrible thing has occurred."

"I heard about a shipment of important technology being stolen," Iron Man explained his arrival, "I wasn't expecting to see this. What happened?"

"No witnesses were left alive," the Chief explained, "We have counted twenty-four dead. One of them has been identified as an employee."

"The rest?"

"We do not know for certain at this time, but my men believe they may be members of a criminal syndicate operated by a man named Gula Petrovich."

Identification for the most of these men seemed impossible, considering how they were taken care of. But, the ones inside were all dressed in suits. Mafia, perhaps? That was quite the straw to grasp, but if the shoe fits. As Iron Man was let inside of the warehouse by the Chief, everyone else staring in awe at the appearance of the world famous superhero, he discovered there were a number of different illegal shipments.

No A.I.M or Hammer Enterprises, though. Convenient. Just a bunch of different random companies and a small selection of Stark Industries shipments.

"The majority of these are all illegal," the Chief informed Iron Man, "We are working immediately with Interpol. We were unaware, but it seems this warehouse has been doing this for five years now."

"Illegal shipments were coming through this one place for the past five years and no one knew?" that seemed very unbelievable.

"People knew," the Chief acknowledged, "No one willing to talk. Sadly, the criminals have gripped Volstok in an iron fist."

"Not anymore." Iron Man walked around a couple more slayed bodies. "More Stark technology." he opened the crate with ease, Tony's eyes widening in shock and horror behind the iron mask. This crate wasn't filled with armor or smaller weapons. This one was carrying missiles. The kind that could level an entire city in under a few shots.

"Tony Stark is not such an honest man," the Chief commented, seeing what the hero saw, "No?"

"I guess not." Stark remarked, baffled.

Overheard, Iron Man and the Volstok Police Force heard a helicopter closing in. Gut instinct told Tony to just up and leave the scene. But, better judgement informed him otherwise. Upon closer inspection as the helicopter came in for a landing in a clearing nearby, the air vehicle was of the S.H.I.E.L.D. variety.

Just wonderful. Well, better to get it over with now, he supposed. Director Nick Fury was about to meet Iron Man for the first time. Considering how much bigger the armor made him and that his voice was altered dramatically when he spoke through the armor, at least Tony didn't need to worry about his identity being discovered.

From the helicopter came Nick Fury and who was once his Assistant, Maria Hill. Rumor had it, she had been demoted for some reason to Field Agent. Must have been eating her up inside. Along with them came four more Agents, weapons aimed and ready.

Iron Man put his arms up, noting silently that he would have to watch his attitude and mannerisms, just in case he started to accidentally act like himself a bit too much.

"Finally, we meet face to face," Fury was less than a dozen feet away from Iron Man at this point, motioning for his people to relax themselves, "Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I know who you are."

"Good, so we can cut the pleasantries," Fury liked that, straight to the point, "You and I are here for the same reason. Stolen Stark Technology that the asshole claimed was off the market. Between you and me, this ain't surprising in the least."

Idiot.

"Anyway," Fury continued, "Anything you can tell us?"

"Nothing you won't be able to find here," Iron Man gestured to the warehouse, "Bunch of guys are dead, and the Volstok Police are under the assumption that they're all part of the same criminal syndicate."

"All right," he had his agents search the area, "You're off to try and save the day, I assume?"

"Yeah." Iron Man prepared for launch.

"Listen," Fury couldn't let him leave just yet, "When this is sorted out and we're back home, you need to contact us at the Triskelion. We have a lot of talking to do."

Giving no response, Tony hit the boosters and spiraled into the sky high above Volstok. Iron Man had some more investigating to do.

**:::Meanwhile:::**

Igor Vanko struggled against the bonds his son had used to keep him still. Anton had said his goodbyes, but he was no longer Anton Vanko. No longer Igor's son. Something else entirely. Different altogether. All that armor, that mask, the long green hair and those damned whips he made. Anton claimed he was now an avenger. That he was now a symbol of freedom for Volstok.

Igor continued to struggle, trying to break free. Amazing just how strong bed sheets could be. They were burning into his wrists and arms, leaving deep and painful red marks. How could this have happened? How could his own flesh and blood undergo a transformation like this? Where did Igor go wrong? Yes, he blamed himself.

Eventually, he broke free, immediately rubbing his arms and wrists as he got up. The authorities needed to be alerted of the danger Anton Vanko now posed.

**:::Elsewhere:::**

Once again shrouded by a cloak to hide his identity, Anton Vanko stood on a rooftop ledge, looking down. In moments, night would fall. He looked up into the sky, counting the stars already visible. Under the blanket of darkness, it would be much easier for him to move through Volstok. The police were speeding through the streets, their sirens crying loudly, warning everyone of danger. If only they knew the truth. If only they knew that innocent civilians had nothing to fear.

If only they knew that Whiplash was a slayer of the guilty.

**:::Stark Tower:::**

Pepper Potts had taken so many calls in the past few hours, that she honestly thought her ears would start to bleed at any second. Everyone wanted to hear from Tony, and his pre-recorded messages were stretching only so far. They worked to quench a few hungers, but not all of them. And certainly not the majority. If he was going to do something like this again, he would need to prepare a bit more. No, a lot more.

That scared Pepper.

Tony was dead-set on remaining the world's first superhero in Iron Man. There was no denying that he was doing a lot of good. But, at what cost? In Pepper's own personal view, it was only a matter of time before it all caught up with him. What if something happened to him? What would happen next? What would she do?

This instance of him being stretched a bit too thin by having to be two places at once was only the beginning. In time, Pepper feared this may turn into the norm. Tony would always be away fighting crime as Iron Man when he was needed back home. The world was waiting on him, waiting on his words, waiting for him to give them an answer to the question on all their minds...

_"Is Stark Industries actually out of the weapons business or not? Simple question, right? Yes or no. Because, people, it's looking more and more like Mr. Stark not only lied to you and I, but the entire world when he claimed he was done. Now, okay, I realize that I may be jumping to conclusions. But, why does he refuse to comment in public? Why is he supposedly hold-up in that god-forsaken Stark Tower of his? Why not just come out, meet the people face to face, and say what needs to be said? My friends, people who hide only do so because they have something to hide. And, mark my words, Tony Stark has something to hide."_

**:::Volstok, Russia:::**

Night had once again fallen over Volstok. A group of shady characters had huddled together behind an old building, plotting their next moves. They were what was left of the syndicate slaughtered at the distribution warehouse earlier in the day. They were afraid, fearful of what would happen next. Would the attacker search for them? Come looking for their blood, sniffing them out and punishing them with death?

"They're on their way," one said to the others, "But, they won't arrive until morning. We just have to hold on until then."

"Hold on until then?" one laughed sarcastically, "You make it sound so easy, Yuri. I almost believe you."

"What else can we do?" Yuri responded, "Your negativity isn't welcomed."

They all heard a sudden thud.

"No," a voice spoke from the shadows, "You aren't welcomed here anymore."

They all scrambled, trying to catch a glimpse of the attacker. Who was it? Where was it? Under the blanket of night, it was impossible to see him clearly.

"Leave us alone!" one of them shouted, "We've done nothing to you!"

"You've done plenty!" one of the shadows leaped forward, revealing Anton in all his glory, a whip extending from his right wrist and wrapping around the criminal. The thug was thrown into another, which caused him to accidentally fire his weapon and kill yet another.

Multiple dings and ricochets came next as their bullets did nothing but make little scratches in his armor. Not even so much as denting it. He turned toward the others, ready to deal the lethal blow. With them out of the picture, the most significant portion of Volstok's infection would be cured. He readied his right arm, raising it high above his head...

A sudden sound cut through the atmosphere, distracting everyone in the area, especially Anton. He cocked his head just in time to see a red and yellow blur landing behind him. It was Iron Man. The first superhero from America had come to help him? Incredible!

"Stop this," Iron Man warned in his robotic sounding voice, "No more need to die."

"No," Anton quickly cleared the air, "I'm not one of them. I am getting rid of them. A superhero, like you."

"Not like me," Iron Man took a step forward, "Not like this. If you keep going like this, you're going to end up out of control."

Anton then noticed that the other criminals had escaped. No! He was so close to ending the struggle. If only Iron Man hadn't shown up. Hadn't distracted him. Damn it!

Tony couldn't believe what he was seeing. Especially the power core residing in this man's chest. Which made him think... Was this his fault? Was the blood on his hands? Had he given this maniac the idea? No, Iron Man wasn't like this. Iron Man wasn't a vigilante slaughtering bodies left and right. He wasn't a villain.

"I need you to come with me," Iron Man extended a slow hand toward the other man, "We'll get this all sorted out."

Anton thought about it for a moment, looking at the red hand. This wasn't help. Iron Man viewed him as a criminal, and wanted to bring him to justice. Anton had to explain and fast...

"They deserve this," he gestured with his own armored hands to the mutilated bodies, "They have terrorized my home for years. And now, it will finally end."

"I understand," Iron Man took one step forward, hand still extended, "But, I still need you to come with me."

"No." Anton stood defiant, the slits in his mask appearing just a little more devious upon speaking the word.

"What you have there is stolen Stark Technology," Tony explained the obvious, "Couple that with all the men you've slaughtered and you have yourself a one way ticket to the Triskelion."

"My home will see me as a hero."

"Your home is terrified of you," one more step forward, hand now down, "The Volstok Authorities, Interpol and S.H.I.E.L.D. are here and have you on their radar. Your best chance is coming with me."

"I see," Anton acknowledged, finally extending his hand toward the superhero, "In that case, I will turn myself in..." Iron took his hand, only to have Anton wrap a whip around his wrist and fling him into the air, right into the back of a brick building, "... _AFTER I FINISH_!"

Stark definitely wasn't expecting that. Crumbled brick all around him, he picked himself up off the ground, trying to shake the cobwebs out of his head, "I should have known it wasn't gonna be that easy."

Whiplash was nowhere in sight. Guy was quick. Determined too. He was doing this for Volstok. The only bad thing being he was going about it the wrong way. Slaying criminals left and right wasn't the way to do it. Now, Tony realized that's what he had done in the cave. But, that was different. Completely different set of circumstances altogether. Ever since he became Iron Man, he was all about bringing people to justice rather than playing the role of executioner.

Iron Man took to the skies, finding no signs of Whiplash on the ground, but seeing a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopter approaching from the West. Perfect. Two run-ins with Fury in one day. Whatever the polar opposite of Christmas was, it was happening now for Tony.

"Well?" Director Fury spoke through a connection established between he and Iron Man, "Where is he?"

"Not here." Iron Man answered regrettably.

"Aren't you supposed to be a superhero?" sarcasm bled through Fury's words.

"Isn't Volstok out of S.H.I.E.L.D. jurisdiction?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I don't have a jurisdiction."

"Okay, cut the bullshit," Fury was in no mood, neither was Tony, "We caught a tip. It seems this character's real name is Anton Vanko. A citizen of Volstok since birth. Goes to school at a local community college. His father, Ivan, gave him up. Said that Anton is behind this because he wants to protect Volstok like Iron Man protects the United States."

"Heh," Fury chuckled dryly, "Ain't that a good ol' fashioned kick in the pants?"

Iron Man turned his armor to fly away. But, before he could...

"Don't forget about our lil' meeting."

Of course not.

**:::Meanwhile:::**

Ironic in a way, Anton had set out to eliminate the scum from Volstok, only to now be standing knee-deep in literal scum. Needing to collect his thoughts, Anton had retreated into the sewers below his homeland. It was quiet, dark, a good place to think. An ideal place to re-evaluate his plans and modify them at the same time.

Iron Man. Anton was still in disbelief that he had actually met the superhero. If only their meeting had gone better than it did. If only Anton had the opportunity to fully explain himself to Iron Man. There seemed no chance of doing that, though. No chance of Anton changing how Iron Man saw him. He saw Anton as a villain, a mass-murderer. When, in reality, he was so far from that. Anton... No... _Whiplash_... was a savior. Whiplash was a superhero.

Anton found a dry place to sit, his determination shaken. Had he gone about this the wrong way? Was he actually a villain? No, no, he couldn't be. They deserved death. They deserved to die! Those monsters had caused so much trouble, so much fear, so much pain. Nothing less was suitable. Nothing less was acceptable. If Iron Man, the Volstok Police Force and anyone else didn't realize or understand that, then it wasn't Anton's fault.

Volstok was in dire need of liberation. No matter the cost.

Wasting time like this was foolish. With so many on his tail, trying to dissuade him, Anton had to move faster than ever. If he didn't, his chance at saving Volstok may be lost forever. No one would stop him. No one would stop... Whiplash.

**:::Stark Tower:::**

_"This just in, Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. have been spotted in Volstok, Russia. While early reports indicated that they were there investigating the stolen technology, it is now apparent that something else has happened. There has been multiple murders taking place. The suspect's identity has not been released to the public at this time, but we will keep you informed as we learn more on this breaking story."_

The phones had finally settled down enough for Pepper to be awarded a much needed break. Thank goodness, maybe the throbbing in her head would go away now. She was sitting in the comfort of a chair with a little wine in her hand when a voice belonging to Jarvis came on over the intercom system...

"Ms. Potts?"

"Yes, Jarvis?"

"Lt. Rhodes is at the door," he explained, "What shall I do?"

Oh no. No, no, no. What was she supposed to do? If it was her fault that Tony's secret was leaked, she would either never hear the end of it or end up being fired. Though, honestly, she couldn't picture him firing her. It just didn't seem like something he would do. Of course, if pushed hard enough...

"Let him in, Jarvis."

Damn, what was she going to do? To say? She had to let him inside. Not only was he Tony's best friend, but he had always been a good friend to Pepper as well. In fact, she was the only one he ever let call him Jimmy. She was pacing the floor, mind frantic. She was great at lying. Being Tony Stark's assistant... You needed to lie. But, she had never needed to lie to Rhodey. Never. Truth be told, she wasn't even sure if she could.

Breaking her from her thoughts was Rhodey entering the room with Jarvis in the background before excusing himself. There was this look from Jimmy. Just a look. But, it spoke volumes. It told Pepper that there was no need to lie. That there was no need to cover for Tony.

"Pepper..." Rhodey started before being interrupted.

"Hey buddy, how goes it?" Tony's voice through the intercom system.

Wait, what?

"Tony?" Rhodey and Pepper asked at the same exact moment.

"Yeah," Tony replied like they were the weird ones, "Who else would it be? Listen, Rhodey, bad time. I'm down here in the lab workin' on a few things."

"You're..." Rhodey was downright lost, "... I thought for sure..."

"What, dude? Spit it out."

"Iron Man's in Russia right now," Rhodey stated, Pepper still at a loss for words, "And you mean to tell me, you're down in your lab?"

"Ugh," Tony sighed heavily, "Jimbo, I love ya like a brother, but you gotta let this go. I'm not Iron Man."

Tony wasn't actually Iron Man? That didn't make a damn bit of sense to Rhodes. Not one damn bit. And here he was thinking he had it all figured out, that he had finally backed Tony into a corner he couldn't maneuver himself out of.

Eating a few pieces of humble pie, Rhodey left Stark Tower without so much as another single word.

With the coast clear, Pepper finally spoke up, "How did you do this?"

"Cell phone type deal," the simple answer, "I had Vision make sure to alert me if Rhodey showed up. Once he did, it was nothing more than a simple little dial of the phone."

"But, it sounds like you're right here."

"Power core amplified the signal. Listen, I can't talk right now. I'll be home soon."

"Wait Tony!" she called out, "Tony?" but he was already gone.

Always a step ahead.

**:::Volstok, Russia:::**

The home of Igor and Anton Vanko. Well, what once used to be Anton's home. As far as his father was concerned, that boy had worn out his welcome. His betrayal and deceit was something unforgettable as well as unforgivable. As it stood now, Igor would be filled with happiness if he was to never see his son ever again.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had arrived at the house while Iron Man resumed his search for Whiplash. The helicopter was still in the air, flying elsewhere. Fury and Agent Barton had been dropped off in a safe location. From there, they walked to the address. Agent Barton stayed outside, hidden from plain sight, as Director Fury went inside to speak with the father of the murderer.

"He will not be back," Igor spoke in very broken English, "I know that."

"I need to know everything there is to know about your son and the warehouse you work at."

"He is not my son," Igor shook his head in disgust, "I no work there, either. No more."

"Be that as it may," Fury took a seat at the kitchen table where Igor sat, "I need to search this house."

Igor may not have been a physicist like his son was destined to be, but he held his own intelligence. He knew what this Director Fury would be looking for, "I burned everything."

In that moment, Fury wanted to let his anger get the best of him. He wanted to punch that man right square in his face. He burned everything? Everything? "I thought you hated your son now?"

"Without the blueprint, he won't make it again."

"Unless he memorized it," Fury stood back up, "He _is _a physicist. They tend to have good memories."

"Not yet."

"Huh?"

"He did not graduate," Igor enlightened Director Fury, "He is not smart enough. He will make mistake. He will fail. Your Iron Man find him."

**:::Meanwhile:::**

Tony could never recall seeing a place this quiet before. The citizens must have been alerted, because there was nobody outside. Nobody at all. Which should have made finding Anton all the easier, but it hadn't. Volstok wasn't large by any means. But, that did little to nothing to shake the whole needle in a haystack effect. This was the first time Tony had ever laid eyes upon Volstok, let alone visit. This Anton Vanko knew it like it was the back of his hand. Every twist and turn, every nook and cranny.

How the hell would Iron Man find him?

Think, think, think.

You just committed a crime. You know everyone is looking for you. You realize everyone is off the streets. So, where do you go? Where do you hide?

No.

You don't hide. You have a mission. You know your time is limited and running out. But, this means so much that there's just no way you'll allow yourself to be denied. You make a move. It's bold and quick. There's no other choices, though. You have to finish this. You have to complete the mission. You have to eliminate the rest of the Petrovich family before you lose the chance to ever do it again.

"Vision, log onto the Internet and hack into the personal Volstok Police Force files. Anything on the Petrovich crime syndicate is what I'm looking for. Especially an address."

_"Of interesting note; The Petrovich syndicate has ties to the Nefaria family," Vision answered, "There is only one known address in all of Volstok. A Mansion. It is being uploaded to your Heads-Up Display now."_

"Nice," Tony silently read the address, "North side of Volstok... Here I come!"

_**THE ASTONISHING IRON MAN**_

This chapter. Ahhh... This chapter. I like the idea but I don't like the execution. I could have written it a lot better. But, there it is.

Arc Finale is up next.


	11. Vanko Part IV

**The Astonishing Iron Man**

**Chapter 11- "Vanko" Part IV (Arc Finale)**

It was a bold move. He understood that, but his hand had been forced. Time was not only of the essence, but running thin at an accelerated rate. Undoubtedly, the individuals seeking to stop him would arrive soon. If only there was more time. If only they believed in him and his mission like he did. He was fighting for freedom. He was waging a war against evil.

Just like Iron Man.

Then why did Iron Man want to turn him in? Why did Iron Man want him arrested? Because the way he was going about this was wrong? No! Not wrong! Anton was right! _Whiplash _was right! And no matter what it costed, whether it be his own personal freedom or life, Whiplash was going to make certain that Volstok was free by the end of the night.

Whiplash stepped upon the property line, jumping up atop the front gate, sitting perched like a stone gargoyle of some sort. Staring grimly at the residence behind his mask, he let loose a roar... A roar of intimidation... Of punishment... Of freedom.

"GULA PETROVICH!"

Dozens of lights lit up in the mansion.

"YOUR JUDGEMENT HAS ARRIVED!"

Men with weapons readied themselves at the windows.

"VOLSTOK'S FREEDOM HAS COME!"

Whiplash was ready to leap into action, ready to enter war with the remainder of the Petrovich Crime Syndicate, when out of nowhere... an energy blast struck the ground between he and them, sending chunks of dirt and earth flying into the air.

When the smoke cleared, Iron Man was standing strong between the two sides. He positioned himself sideways, as to have no blind spot toward any of them.

"Not now, Iron Man. I must finish this."

"No," Iron Man was defiant, "Gula Petrovich is worth a lot more alive than dead. He has ties to the Nefaria family, which runs an international terrorist organization called the Maggia."

"I fight for Volstok," Whiplash prepared for multiple enemies in this war, "If you hold me back, then you are my enemy."

"Killing them all isn't the answer."

"YES IT IS!" Whiplash roared from the depths of his belly as he sprang into action, leaping toward Iron Man, tackling him down to the ground. He then used Iron Man as a springboard to launch himself forward to the mansion. He quickly entered, slaying anyone he in sight.

"ANTON!" Iron Man ran into the mansion behind him.

Once inside, Iron Man found himself in a long hall, Whiplash at the other end. He didn't want to do this, but he was left with no other choice. Tony let the energy build a little and released a concussive blast, hitting Whiplash's abdomen like a thunderous punch, knocking him all the way back into a door at the other end.

Whiplash grunted in pain, but wasn't so easily defeated. With Iron Man moving closer, Whiplash extended his whips to the ceiling, cutting through it, causing it and everything on the floor above it to cave in on Iron Man.

The superhero was buried underneath a massive pile of rubble and destruction.

Whiplash kicked the door in and went about his business. Though, in a much more hurried manner. The clock was ticking. Gula Petrovich needed to die!

Iron Man pushed the layers of rubble off of himself and moved out of it. The armor had taken a little damage in the unorthodox attack, but not enough to cause problems. Iron Man headed into the room that Whiplash had, and found a staircase leading up. A staircase that was broken from the whips. He must have forgotten that Iron Man could fly.

Iron Man took flight... Only to watch a stone statue being flung at him! Impact was straight-on! The force knocked Iron Man back through a wall, down into the rubble he had just climbed out of it.

Guess he didn't forget after all.

"THAT WAS YOUR FINAL WARNING, IRON MAN! THIS IS MY WAR!'

Warning?

Tony picked himself up, now a little worse for the wear. No critical damage to the suit yet. Many more shots like that, though, and he'd be toast. Ribs were cracked but healing. Which diverted power away from the suit. He didn't have the luxury of just sitting and waiting to heal, though. Especially not when he could hear the screams of men being torn apart.

"Suck it up, Iron Man!" he urged himself to get up and rejoin the fight. He did so, flying to the upper level where Whiplash had gone.

He landed on the floor, finding himself at a corner with two hallways. Bodies littered in each, blood splattered on the walls and floor. Whiplash was merciless. Out of control, too. He had to be stopped. This mansion might as well been a corn maze, though. That's when Tony happened to catch sight of a security camera, giving him an idea.

"Vision," he tapped into his own personal communications with Vision at Stark Tower, "This is gonna earn you bonus points; I need you to hack into Gula Petrovich's personal security systems. And now."

He waited a couple moments.

_"Done." Vision responded._

"Find me Whiplash and Petrovich. Then tell me where I am."

_"Whiplash is in the third floor Library. Mr. Petrovich is hiding underneath a desk in his personal office. That is also on the third floor. You are in the southeast corridor. Whiplash is to your west, Mr. Petrovich is to your north. Whiplash is now on the move. He is heading north, sir."_

"Only one way to do this," Tony psyched himself up, "Here goes nothin', Vis!"

Iron Man launched himself through any wall put in front of him. One by one, full speed ahead. Until he was able to tackle Whiplash through the wall of Petrovich's personal office. Iron Man and Whiplash rolled on the floor until stopping, being shot at by two guards. Iron Man quickly shot Whiplash in the abdomen, then disposed of the two guards by knocking them unconscious.

Iron Man turned his attention towards Petrovich, who was literally cowering in fear behind the desk. Behind him and the desk was a large set of windows, the moonlight shining in nicely.

"Let's go, Petrovich, before I change my mind about walking you outta here."

"NO!" Whiplash wrapped a whip around Iron Man's stomach, "HE IS MINE!"

"Arrrggghhh!" the electricity was hurting like hell and damaging Iron Man's computer systems built into the armor.

Whiplash had an idea, a move to make. All he needed to do was get rid of Iron Man long enough to take care of Petrovich. Once that happened, then he would... No... He would not willingly give himself up. He would not allow Iron Man the chance to turn him in. Iron Man was just as bad... One of them. One of the ones trying to prevent the freedom of Volstok.

In fact, that dragon never came until after Iron Man. Those shipments to Volstok were never as heavy as they were after Iron Man was born. This was Iron Man's fault. He had to pay. He had to pay for ignoring Volstok, the same going for S.H.I.E.L.D. and even the Volstok Police! They all ignored the cries of the people, their suffering, their anguish!

THEY WERE JUST AS BAD AS GULA PETROVICH!

The anger reaching a boiling point, Whiplash summoned all the strength he had and attempted to build enough momentum up to throw Iron Man as far out of the window as possible. He succeeded! Iron Man was let go, crashing through the window, shattering the glass into bits as he fell through the sky.

Tony wasn't done yet, though! Tapping into what little power the suit still had going, he stopped his descent in mid-air and roared back into the mansion, landing on his feet but with quite the thud.

"You won't go away." Whiplash stood strong, Gula Petrovich having ran out of the room during the chaos.

"No," Tony was out of breath, his bio-energy running overtime to heal him and fuel the suit, "This isn't the way to do it. Slaughtering everyone isn't the answer."

"No one cared about Volstok," Whiplash explained, "No one has ever cared! The only reason you do now, is because of the American Son Stark. You don't care at all that my people have suffered. If I wasn't using _this_," he patted his armor and power core, "You would not care, Iron Man."

"I never knew," Tony was able to stand up straight again, "I had no idea what was going on. If I did, I would have been here in a heartbeat. You wouldn't have had to do this."

"Then you understand why I do this?"

"Yes."

"Then you understand..." he paused before unleashing his whips to the ceiling in a repeat of the move from earlier, "... WHY I MUST DO THIS!"

"ANTON!" it all came crashing down onto Iron Man, "DAMN IT!"

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Whiplash skillfully navigated through the destruction that once was the Petrovich mansion. Every second counted in this chase. Iron Man wouldn't be down for long, but hopefully it bought him enough time to hunt down the last remaining member of the Petrovich crime syndicate. It didn't take Whiplash long to make it outside, where he spotted an injured Petrovich getting into a car.

Whiplash moved quickly, making it to the vehicle just as it was pulling off the property. Whiplash was crouched atop the speeding vehicle as it headed down the streets of Volstok. A fist raised, whip ready, the final blow was set to be unleashed...

"FOR VOLSTOK!"

"NO!" Iron Man blasted Whiplash, knocking him off the car and rolling into the street. The car itself skidded before hitting a traffic light and stalling out.

Iron Man landed, hearing the S.H.I.. helicopter coming in hot from behind. Jesus, he had just made it out of there in the nick of time. A second sooner and all would have been lost.

"You are just as bad," Whiplash spoke through pain as he picked himself up, "Evil has many forms."

"It's over," Iron Man said, the helicopter blades whirring above, "Give yourself up, Anton."

"No," Whiplash coughed behind the mask, "Not over... He has to pay. You have to pay, Iron Man. Everyone responsible for Volstok's downfall will pay with their lives!"

Whiplash extended a whip around Iron Man's torso, pulling him in close. Tony had to think fast, but was able to land a punch right to the chest. Right into the power core, destroying it beyond recognition or repair. It caused a jolt to Whiplash's body, knocking him back and unconscious.

"Trust me," Iron Man said as he stood up over the fallen Anton Vanko, "It's all over."

Iron Man gestured for S.H.I.E.L.D. to take care of Vanko. Then he walked over to the car. The driver had a nasty bump on his head and was unconscious in the airbag. The back door was locked, so Tony took the liberty of ripping it off. Inside, he found Gula Petrovich. Terrified. Shaking like a leaf, pissing his pants. Perhaps, scared straight.

A vehicle pulled up to the scene. Nick Fury and Agent Barton emerged from it.

Iron Man pulled Petrovich out of the car by his collar and tossed him to the street in a heap, "Gula Petrovich."

"Anton Vanko?" Fury pointed to the fallen Whiplash, "How do we know he won't try anything?"

Iron Man took flight, "'Cause his battery died."

**:::Stark Tower:::**

The next morning.

An emergency Press-Conference had been called by Tony Stark. It was to be held in front of his home. All the typical media personnel were there, ready and waiting. Rhodey had attended as well. By Tony's side was Pepper Potts.

"This is going to be quick," he started, "I mean, really quick. I don't have the time and I don't have the patience to keep constantly defending myself. And, it seems like no matter what I tell you people, you never believe a word I say. From the higher-ups all the way down to the common man. But, nevertheless, here I am. Once again defending myself. Look, I have no good god damn clue how my Tech ended up in a warehouse in Russia. I just don't. There's no explanation here. The cut-off date was three months ago. I have it in writing, in print, check out the official records anywhere. Legally speaking, no weapon produced by me before my change of heart has been distributed, designed or manufactured."

"I have it on good authority that my good friends in S.H.I.E.L.D. are currently investigating the matter for me. I want to thank them right now. But, I won't. I'm not in the mood to thank people, I'm not in the mood to be a nice guy. So, as far as whether or not I am truly out of the weapons business goes... If you don't believe me, I couldn't possibly care any less. I am not in the weapons business. That's Stane and Hammer now. That's their gig, not mine."

"If ya don't believe me?" he paused for dramatic effect, "Guess what? ::Bleep:: you!"

Everyone went crazy as Stark flipped off the television camera and went back inside with his assistant right in tow behind. Once they were on the elevator and going up, Pepper felt inclinced to comment...

"Bold statements, Mr. Stark." somewhat sarcastic.

"I don't have time," the ride ended, but only Pepper exited, "Iron Man has a thing with S.H.I.E.L.D. in ten minutes."

**:::The Triskelion:::**

Director Nick Fury was having a bad morning. Just after returning to the United States, he received word that the Russians wanted Anton Vanko back on their soil. Fury fought like hell, raised a real damn stink, but it didn't do an ounce of good. Vanko was transported back to Russia. Not six hours later... Anto Vanko had escaped the prison he was placed in. And he was only in the god damn thing less than an hour!

Nick Fury stood atop the Triskelion. A catwalk had been installed on the roof by the architect. It had unofficially been designated as Fury's office away from his main office. He was waiting on Iron Man, wondering if he was actually going to show or not. Felt like a 50/50 chance. Then again, it's not like Fury had dealt with any superheroes before.

Eventually, he spotted it. The red and yellow blur shooting through the sky. Not seconds later, Iron Man was hovering above him.

"No easy way to say it," Fury dove right into the shit, "We're able to hold Petrovich for the time being because he's been linked to International crimes, but Vanko's loose."

"He escaped?" Iron Man was at a loss, "What are your walls made out of? Paper?"

"It wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fault," Fury explained, "Russia wanted him back. Our hands were tied because it all went down over there. As soon as he got there, he escaped. No one knows how it happened."

That wasn't good.

"The warehouse has been cleaned out by S.H.I.E.L.D.," Fury said, "The Vanko household, too. He's loose, but he doesn't have his armor or that thing in his chest. Which, by the way, looks a lot like yours."

Tony knew where this was going.

"Under command of the United States President, S.H.I.E.L.D. is hereby ordering you to either work for us by joining our organization. Or, hand over the blueprints for that armor."

"And if I don't?"

"That would be a mistake," Fury answered, "You will then be viewed as a terrorist and placed at the top of every Most Wanted list this world has to offer."

"Screw you, Fury!" Iron Man exclaimed, "I'm not handing over the recipe so S.H.I.E.L.D. can have their very own army of Iron Men."

"You'd be doing this country - and the world - a great service."

"No, I wouldn't."

"Don't be stupid!" Fury shouted angrily, "Think about it. Every bird in the sky is gonna be gunning for you. It's going to be non-stop. It's never going to end until you co-operate."

"I'll help," Tony threw the boss a bone, "But, I won't hand over the blueprints and I won't join S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Then you are willingly becoming a fugitive."

"By your logic, anyway."

"Fine, I don't agree with it, but I can see why you wouldn't want to hand over the blueprints. Why not join us, though? You'd have access to everything that S.H.I.E.L.D. has to offer. We might be able to use you, too. We have a prisoner who's been silent ever since we locked him up. We have a feeling he knows something about you, too."

"Mandarin." Iron Man concluded, "He's dangerous. Don't under-estimate him."

"So, this is it, huh? We're gonna be enemies?"

"I work alone, Fury," Iron Man started moving away, "Like I said, I'll help. But, I'm not joining anything."

Fury tapped his collar as he watched Iron Man fly away in the distance, "Fury here. Tell the President that Iron Man is not complying with orders. _Project Avenger_ will have to wait. Fury out."

**:::Volstok, Russia:::**

Igor Vanko sat alone in his tragically empty house with tears in his eyes. Hatred burned bright and hot in his heart for his son, but there was still love. An inkling, a fraction, a small morsel remained. Also regret and remorse. Was it Igor's fault? Should he have done something different? Was there a flaw in the way he raised his son? No need in dwelling on the past, but it hurt so much. Once the chaos had ended and the dust settled, Igor's soul was in turmoil over this.

Rather abruptly, he heard a door open and close. The next thing Igor knew, there was his son. No long green hair, no fancy armor and whips. Not Whiplash. Anton had returned home.

Anton stood like a statue, staring at his father, searching internally for the right words to say. Were there any, though? Maybe, "I want to apologize," he spoke in Russian, "And say, this not your fault. I could have never asked for a better father. I love you, and I'm sorry."

Igor approached his son, "What will you do now? They are searching for you. You have no weapons now, either."

"For now," Anton sighed, holding his arms out toward his father, "I just want to say goodbye."

"You have disgraced me, my son," Igor walked closer, "Our family, our name. Our honor is gone. Our lives are over."

"One last hug?" tears threatened to spill from Anton's eyes, "Please?"

Igor took a deep breath and did as his son had asked, "Deep down, I will miss you."

After a moment or two, Igor went to pull away, but was stopped by his son refusing to let go. What was going on?

"I need to ask you something," Anton whispered eerily, "The night I came home and told you of the boy that was robbed. You said you wished I didn't do anything. Why did you say that?"

"Anton..."

"WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?"

Igor swallowed hard, now fearing for his life, "I was afraid of what would happen to you."

"Doing nothing to help," Anton realized, "Is the same as doing something to hurt."

Igor suddenly gasped, his eyes going wide, voice unable to be heard as his mouth gaped open. He took slow steps backward, holding onto his side, blood seeping between his fingers. He looked down, finding a knife in his son's hand. Then he looked and saw the eyes not of Anton Vanko, but a devil he didn't recognize. Igor dropped to a knee, then another, before finally collapsing to the floorboards in a bleeding lifeless heap.

Silent, Anton watched his own father die. No remorse, no guilt nor regret. It had to happen. The guilty had to pay the price. There was no room for leniency of any kind. No room for love in this war. And yes, Anton loved his father greatly, even as he plunged the blade into his side, feeling the blood and life ooze out. But, it was a war. There was no middle ground.

Igor Vanko had worked at that Warehouse for years knowing what was happening. And he had lived in Volstok all his life, not lifting a finger to help the problems that plagued it.

Anton tossed the knife away and left the house, stepping onto the sidewalk and going on his way.

While doing so, he looked around at various dead bodies littering the street. All people who watched their homeland rot with disease. All people who sat on their hands, hiding in their closets, doing nothing. All people who willingly gave control to Petrovich. All people who were just as guilty as he.

All people that deserved to die.

Volstok had been cleansed.

Now it was time to go global.

**:::Stark Tower:::**

With drink in hand, Tony sat in his lab, alone. Vision wasn't even turned on. He looked at the Iron Man suit that he had worn during his encounter with Whiplash. It wasn't beyond repair, but he wasn't sure if he would fix it up or just use it for scraps toward whatever his next armor design would be. Luckily he had a spare for now, which was what he used to meet with Fury.

Fury was a man of his word. As of about thirty minutes ago, it was on every news station there was. The Iron Man had become public enemy number one. He was wanted for not complying with orders given to him by the United States Government, as well as the United Nations. He was labeled not a threat to the general public as of this time, but that could change.

How dare they say that?

It reminded him a bit of Anton Vanko, though. Anton saw himself as a hero, much like Tony saw Iron Man. But, not everyone saw it that way. Whether it made him a hypocrite or not, didn't matter, there was no way in hell that Tony was going to let Whiplash run amuck in Russia. It just couldn't happen. Killing person after person, regardless of what they did, wasn't the answer. Not to mention, the bad example that it displayed to everyone else.

He took a sip of his drink.

Stark technology helped Anton create Whiplash. Helped him annihilate all those men. Tony had trouble with that fact. How much more of his old weapons were still out there? Still in circulation? They could have been anywhere. Literally, anywhere on the map. And the power core that Anton had created. It was working, it was powerful, it fueled those whips of his well. He seemed weaker by the end, but all the same.

Would Anton had ever created it if the idea wasn't unintentionally supplied to him by Tony Stark?

Of course not.

The legacy of Tony Stark as a war-monger lived on.

_"This just in; The murders have not stopped in Volstok. Incredibly, reports are coming in as we speak claiming that over sixty percent of the entire population has been slain. This all coming after last night when S.H.I.E.L.D. and Iron Man were both seen taking care of what officials are calling a supervillain. A young man of twenty-five years, Anton Vanko, known now as Whiplash, had been taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. However, he was sent back to Russia, and it seems as though he has escaped his imprisonment. More on this breaking story as it comes to us."_

_**THE ASTONISHING IRON MAN**_

The opposite from last time, I liked this chapter. Whiplash was taken care of in a big battle (i'll never use a mansion as a fight setting again) only to have him escape. And now Iron Man is public enemy number one because he refuses to sign up with S.H.I.E.L.D.. I'm not sure how Anton killing his father and over half of Volstok's entire population will be received by you guys. But, I needed him to be solidified as a villain by the end of the arc. So, he's gone a bit goofy and now has a warped sense of justice that he'll be carrying out in the near future.

Three cheers for recurring supervillains!

"Public Enemy Number One" is the arc coming up next.


	12. Public Enemy Number One Part I

This chapter's a little on the short side compared to the last couple. Sorry about that.

**The Astonishing Iron Man**

**Chapter 12- "Public Enemy Number One" Part I**

Iron Man soared across the skyline as almost a blur, racing to save the day. High above the city streets of New York City, he looked down with the sunlight coming from above. He had to act quickly yet carefully if this was going to be taken care of properly.

Iron Man zipped down, cutting through the atmosphere as only he could. Down below, a tour bus roared through traffic, stopping for no one. The vehicle had been hijacked just a short while ago, and reportedly had bombs inside of it. The destination wasn't clear at this point, but Iron Man knew that didn't matter. All that did matter was disabling the threat before anyone else ended up hurt or worse.

This would be tricky, but Stark was more than up for the task.

_"Approaching aircraft's South of your location," Vision spoke through the communications._

Damn S.H.I.E.L.D.!

Ever since he refused Nick Fury, Iron Man was being followed by someone. Best believe that it took quite the proverbial chorus of aerial maneuvers to shake them when Stark wanted to return home.

No time to be pre-occupied, though. Iron Man remained focused on the situation ahead of him. He had this bus to be concerned with, nothing else. Fury may have been an asshole, but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't jeopardize innocent civilian lives just to snag himself Iron Man. He'd be a chronic pain for sure, but not a road block.

Caution was key. Iron Man couldn't just blow out a tire or something like that. The bus was rigged to explode upon sudden impact. He had to be quick and precise, not to mention extremely careful. Every second of every moment needed to be flawless when dealing with a situation such as this one.

Iron Man dipped down low, now flying side-by-side with the runaway vehicle. The hijackers had guns aimed through the windows. Ugh, they always had friggin' guns. Well... Whiplash didn't. So maybe they didn't always, after all.

Iron Man re-positioned himself, choosing to fly over the bus while maintaining its speed. At least now he couldn't be shot. He could hear the people inside screaming for his help. No sudden moves, though. If he acted too fast, someone could end up dead.

"Vision," he spoke through the communications link, "I need to disable the bombs with an EMP."

_"The electro-magnetic pulse enhancement to your armor hasn't gained a positive result yet, sir. Essentially, you are wearing a semi-functioning prototype."_

"It's not up for discussion, Vis," Iron Man sped forward ahead of the bus, landing about a quarter mile away, coming down in the street as the vehicle barreled toward him, "Gimme the juice!"

Power began visibly gathering at his chest, crackles of electricity dancing around the entire armor. His breathing started to labor as the gap between he and the speeding vehicle slimmed more and more. He braced himself, teeth grinding together, energy concentrated...

_BOOM!_

A massive charge of electricity pulsed off of Iron Man, running through the vehicle, successfully disabling the bombs via their electronic links. Lightning quick, Tony blew out the front tires then braced himself even deeper, summoning every ounce of strength that suit still had left to break the bus' momentum, stopping it safely in the middle of the street. Thank god S.H.I.E.L.D. was in tow, to take care of the hijackers, because Iron Man's energy had depleted one-hundred percent.

Tony slumped against the front of the stopped bus, gasping for breaths that weren't big enough. There were these nasty sharp pains cutting inside of his chest. The shrapnel! Not to mention, his entire body hurt again, every inch, just like before. The crippling, searing, mind-numbing pain.

Luckily, his healing factor kicked in, re-fueling the suit as well as his own natural body. The shrapnel was kept at bay and the overwhelming pain from the neural tissue relieved. He weakly stumbled away from the vehicle as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents started surrounding him.

"Iron Man," Agent Maria Hill stood bravely at the the lead, weapon in hand, a sour taste _still_ in her mouth from being demoted, "You are hereby ordered to co-operate with us taking you into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody."

Tony knew he had a few moments to spare. They wouldn't open fire on him in the middle of a crowded city square. They'd threaten to do so, but there was no chance of them actually doing it. Every second that Tony just stood there doing nothing, was another moment the suit had to be replenished by his own natural energy from within. And, he didn't need to be at a hundred percent to fly.

"I just stopped the damn bus," he was still weak, but the suit was past fifty percent, "Disabled the bombs, too."

"And did the same for all electronics in at least a four mile radius," Hill added.

What?

Iron Man launched straight into the sky, surveying the radius Maria Hill mentioned. Shit, she was right. It was like a black hole opened up. No vehicles moving, lighted billboards were blank. People losing their minds over it.

"Shit!"

**:::Hammer Labs:::**

_"Yes, the terrorist plot was foiled. But, we came dangerously close to feeling the effects regardless. Experts are estimating that Iron Man used an - I can't believe I'm saying this, folks - electro-magnetic pulse to safely disable the bombs aboard the bus. However, in a show of imperfection, he proceeded to knock out all electricity within a four mile radius. And via the domino effect, there are many more cities in the area being affected."_

"You aren't perfect, are you?" the thing once known as George Tarleton mused as it sat comfortably in its arachnid-like mechanical body, the only thing left of its true self being the enlarged head, "No, you are merely human, and humans make mistakes. It's in their nature. They can't help it. No, they cannot."

The door to the plain white room opened, and Justin Hammer entered, wearing a suit, "Ah, I just decided to pop-in and make sure you caught the front-page news. Looks like you did."

"Iron Man is showing flaws," it spoke, its voice raspy and garbled, "Flaws in the design, flaws in the execution, flaws in decision-making."

"Yeah," Justin approached a bit closer, "Speaking of _designs_, how far along are you in duplicating the armor?"

"Duplicating imperfect armor isn't going to help the cause," it explained, "Duplicating failure results solely in failure."

Justin Hammer sighed, feeling a migraine coming, "The deal was... You were going to help us duplicate the armor. It's been two months and there's nothing. I mean, bone-dry nothing. Not even so much as a few ideas scribbled in crayon on a napkin."

"Something bigger, something better," it mumbled, finally turning away from the TV, "Something perfect, something ultimate. Yes, the Ultimate Weapon is what we need!"

"You have no intention of working on the armor," Hammer concluded, hands going in his pockets, "George, I..."

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" it snapped aggressively, "I AM M.O.D.O.K.! Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing!"

"Look, we had a deal," Justin laid it out, plain to see, "I supplied you the greatest mind possible, and you then supply me with a duplicate of the Iron Man armor. That was what I thought we had going here."

"M.O.D.O.K. refuses to bow," it said, "M.O.D.O.K. doesn't work for anyone. Everyone works for M.O.D.O.K.. You, Justin Hammer, work for M.O.D.O.K.!"

"Hey, I'll co-operate," Hammer shrugged, "At this point, I don't care who's on top. Let's just get on the same page and get this thing done. If some peasant Ruskie can come up with an armor and a god forsaken battery to power it, then there's no reason you can't."

"M.O.D.O.K. can!" it enlightened, "It isn't a matter of being able or unable. It is a matter of not duplicating a failure. M.O.D.O.K. has something else. Something that will render Iron Man obsolete."

"Fine," Hammer's patience was wearing thin with this freak, "Work on the other project. But," he got in close, pointing a finger in M.O.D.O.K.'s freakish face, "Remember this; I made you... And I can damn sure un-make you!"

**:::Stark Tower:::**

Down in his personal lab, the frustration was threatening to boil over as Tony threw a spare part against the wall, shattering it into dozens of pieces. He had just returned home and gotten out of the suit. A little tired, but nothing that wouldn't go away in a few minutes. If only it was as easy for everything else to heal. As sure as the blackout spread, the news did simultaneously. While stopping a credible terrorist threat, Iron Man had also caused a massive power outage in New York City.

Perfect. Just perfect.

He knew he should have listened to Vision, but he just couldn't think of a different way to handle it. Yes, the EMP hadn't achieved an acceptable positive result since Tony implemented it in the armor. But, he honestly hadn't anticipated that much of a disaster happening. Maybe he should have, but he didn't.

"What happened?" Pepper had entered the lab, concern on her face, "They're saying you caused this huge power outage?"

"You just answered your own question, Ms. Potts."

"Tony?"

Stark sighed, fists clenching as he was in the mood to put said fists through something hard, "I knew the EMP wasn't ready. But, I didn't realize..."

"You know what the problem is?" Pepper knew what it was, "You're getting too far ahead of yourself. I mean, the first time you even used the suit was against a dragon for crying out loud."

"I had to do that!" Tony angrily defended himself.

"Okay, okay," Pepper took a step back, "I'm not attacking you here, I'm just saying. If you're going to keep upgrading these things all the time like this, then you need to be ready for when things go haywire like today."

Tony finally sat down, running his hands back and forth over his black hair, "This was a big mistake. I screwed up with Fin Fang Foom, I screwed up with Whiplash. Iron Man needs to be perfect. He needs to be invincible."

"Nothing is invincible, Tony," Pepper sat next to him, "There's no use in being so hard on yourself. You've done a lot. It's been a bumpy road, but you've done a lot of good. You should be satisfied with what you've been able to accomplish so far."

"It's not enough," Tony wouldn't accept the failures, "Things are more dangerous than ever because of me. I need to fix it. I need to make everything better. I just have to. It's something that I have to do."

"You need help," Pepper reminded him of something he didn't want to hear, "You need Jimmy."

"S.H.I.E.L.D., the United States Government, President and the United Nations all want the blueprints to the Iron Man armor," Tony explained, "No one can know I'm Iron Man. Period."

"He wouldn't tell."

"It doesn't matter if he would or not," Stark stood, "The risk is too great. Iron Man can hide, he can dissappear for years. Tony Stark can't. If they know I'm Iron Man, they'll tear everything down. Brick by brick. I'll lose everything, and I'll never get it back."

"Fine, okay, don't tell him, go for that whole lone wolf schtick," Pepper replied, understanding Tony's point of view, but really wishing he didn't think that way, "But, I am telling you that Iron Man needs help. Tony Stark could use a little, too, actually."

A light bulb brightened over Tony's head. Of course. Why didn't he think of it sooner? He exited the lab in a fast manner, Pepper all but running to try and keep up with him...

"What is it?" she asked, finding herself wishing she didn't put on heels today.

"Iron Man is going to help Tony Stark."

"How so?" she was curious.

"You'll see." he smirked.

**:::New York City:::**

Daylight was dwindling, and while some areas had their power restored, the majority of New York City was still reeling from the EMP blast courtesy of Iron Man. A mistake that had costed the hero a lot. He was already literally Public Enemy Number One. Factor in this latest screw-up, and now the general public was stepping on the side of the United States Government. They were starting to see Iron Man as a negative rather than a positive.

Which was a perfect opportunity for Tony Stark to try and turn recent negative opinions of himself into positive ones by helping out New York City with their electrical woes.

An emergency meeting was taking place between Tony Stark and the Mayor of New York City, Mayor North. It was going on at the Mayor's office.

"It really did a number on us," Mayor North had been describing the damage, "Entire systems are offline. It's a disaster. At first, we figured it wouldn't be anything we couldn't handle. But, it's not looking that way now. We were sure we'd have everything fixed by morning. But, like I said, it's not looking that way now."

Tony had to help New York City. No two ways around it. This was his fault. He had to make amends, "There's this thing that we've been working on at Stark Industries. It's like a generator. Well, no let me correct myself there, Mayor. It is a generator. It's really powerful, too. It's functional, it works, it's amazing. We just haven't had the right opportunity to debut it yet."

"This generator will give us power?"

"As of right now, it can generate power all by itself for seventy-two hours straight until it drains out. I can have it shipped here, my people will hook it up, and New York City will have power for the next three days while you all fix the problem Iron Man created."

"Iron Man," Mayor North sighed, "I tell you, I've been on his side since the beginning. But after this morning, I'm starting to wonder if the Government is right about the whole thing. Maybe we really can't trust him."

"I know I don't," Stark sharply responded, "So, do we have a deal?"

"Budgets are stressed," the Mayor said, "New York City wouldn't be able to pay you for this."

"Mr. Mayor," Tony scolded humorously, "I'm insulted. This isn't about money. This is just about helping out. I'm doing this free of charge. I'm not asking nor am I expecting anything in return."

"Well, if that's the case," Mayor North stood and reached a hand towards Stark, "On behalf of New York, I would have to say thank you."

"Let's get this show on the road," they shook on it as Tony pulled out his cell phone with the opposite hand.

**:::Obadiah Stane:::**

Courtesy of one Anthony Edward Stark, New York City had their power restored. And, once again, within the blink of an eye, Tony Stark was once again America's Son. It seemed that the world - or, at least, the United States and neighboring countries - had forgotten all about his weapons being found in Volstok last month. It made the bile rise in Obadiah Stane's stomach as he watched the news broadcast in his home.

Beverage of choice in hand, the anger rose. He was just so damn sick of it! No matter what happened, Tony always ended up smelling like roses. He could have been dragged through a country mile of shit, face-first, and his suit and tie would still be spotless when it ended.

The thirst for revenge strengthened. Obadiah had to think of something. Advanced Idea Mechanics needed a special something. But, what? Ah yes, he knew exactly what. Advanced Idea Mechanics needed to come up with their own Iron Man armor. One that would make the real thing look like a children's toy. But, damn it, it appeared as though that dream was drifting further and further away with each passing day.

Some god damn poor little twit in Russia was able to duplicate the power battery. With that in mind, how was it so that accomplished scientists at A.I.M. were having such difficulty? It should have been easy, considering the resources at their fingertips. Alas, it was not. It was almost like there was a key they were missing. Some tiny little thing that they weren't seeing. A piece of the puzzle hiding somewhere.

Eventually, though.

_Eventually_.

**:::Hammer Labs:::**

Duplicating imperfection is useless!

M.O.D.O.K. was right. Justin Hammer was wrong. At least, in M.O.D.O.K.'s own humble opinion. To him, trying to create another suit of armor wasn't going to accomplish anything. So no, that wasn't his project. M.O.D.O.K. had envisioned something else entirely. As he said; _The Ultimate Weapon_.

Deep within the bowels of Hammer Labs, M.O.D.O.K. was busy at work with a variey of assistants. They had all gathered upon his call in a large room. In the middle of it, sat a giant gray metallic head with red eyes and a computer system of some sort in the back. It was the beginning of M.O.D.O.K.'s ultimate weapon. The main part was finished, that being a sufficient and smart artificial intelligence unit.

"The ultimate weapon," M.O.D.O.K. spoke in a grim tone to his many assistants, his spider-like body standing in front of them all, "Perfection is possible. It will be proven when Iron Man is defeated."

M.O.D.O.K. continued, "What you are now looking at is merely the beginning. A body will be built, and with that, enemies will be crushed. Perfection will be reached. Perfection is reachable. This will be the ultimate weapon."

Did he have any clue that he was kinda repeating himself? The assistants all wondered as they looked at each other briefly.

**:::Stark Tower:::**

So, all in all, not nearly as bad as it could have been. At least, judging on how you chose to view it.

Iron Man had essentially broken New York City. However, Tony Stark managed to slap a very effective band-aid on it. All the while, Iron Man's stock dropped like a rock, and Tony Stark's soared like a bird into the sky. It was funny, in a way. The more he thought about it, the more Tony realized that he was separating himself from Iron Man. At times, it was almost as if when he donned the armor, that he truly became someone else.

At the moment, Tony was sitting on a couch, simply kicking back with a drink at his side, watching a little TV before he retired for the night. From the side, he noticed Pepper entering the room.

"I'm a genius," he gestured to the flat-screen on the wall. It was showing images of an illuminated New York City, with the phrase... Thank You Tony Stark... crawling across the bottom.

"A genius who forgot about a certain date he had tonight," Pepper refreshed his memory.

Ouch, that hurt. Whitney Frost was in town for a week, and they had made arrangements to have dinner on this particular night. Ironic, in a way. While it was Whitney's work that brought her closer, it was Tony's work that drove him away.

Pepper had a look. One that Tony knew all too well, having seen it multiple times over the years.

"You're right," he admitted, "I completely forgot," he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and finger, sitting up, "Damn, I was actually really looking forward to seeing her."

"Mr. Stark," Pepper smirked, "Is that remorse I see? Do you actually feel bad about missing a date?"

"Ha-ha," Tony remarked dryly, sitting back, taking a sip, "How much longer is she in town?"

"The end of the week," Pepper answered, "Which means only a couple more days."

"Well, that's not gonna work," Tony scrunched his face for a moment, irritated, "I'm gonna be on-call for New York City making sure the generator stays running."

"She understands. At least, she says she does. I told her that considering the power outage and your involvement in repairing it, that more than likely, you wouldn't be free for awhile."

"And what did she say after that?

"Maybe next time."

_**THE ASTONISHING IRON MAN**_

Another chapter down as we start this short but very significant arc. I'm still in the midst of nailing down this version of M.O.D.O.K., so hopefully he comes across as okay. In ways, he's very much like his real counterpart, while in other ways he's very different. And yes, he is creating Ultimo. Who, in this, will be like a Sentinel, only a lot smarter and harder to kill.

The EMP. If used a certain way, it would effectively become the be-all end-all, of sorts. There would be no real threat to Iron Man, if he could just blast them away with the Electro-Magnetic Pulse. So, as in the comics, I've made it a double-edged sword. It does eliminate electronic dangers, while also draining just about every drop of the suit's energy, as well as causing widespread panic in New York City. Now, if there happened to be an enemy there that wasn't electronic, kinda like Fin Fang Foom, Stark would have been up the creek, cause he was utterly defenseless. I'm also hopeful it brings to light that these Iron Man armors are works in progress, and will _always_ be works in progress.

Anyway, enough talking. I just wanted to fill a little space left by having this short chapter.


	13. Public Enemy Number One Part II

**ZeroBen's Iron Man**

**Chapter 13 - "Public Enemy Number One" Part II**

M.O.D.O.K. was busy directing his minions. Yes, rather than assistants, the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing had taken a liking to referring to them as his minions. His Ultimate Weapon was almost complete. He grinned widely as the percentage of completion only grew higher. All the parts were nearly assembled together to form this devastating creation.

"The laser is ready when you are," another Hammer scientist entered next to M.O.D.O.K.. It was Arthur Parks, one of the many who actually helped to create the freakish genius.

"Excellent," M.O.D.O.K. responded in his warped voice, "You will be counted when the spoils come."

"Spoils?" Arthur asked.

M.O.D.O.K. took to silence, not caring to elaborate on what he meant.

**:::Stark Tower:::**

Goggles on - safety first, always - Tony was hard at work in his laboratory, the sparks flying as he took part in a little welding. A live news broadcast was playing on a television, though he wasn't paying much attention to it.

_"The darkness has been lifted, ladies and gentlemen, as New York City's power has been restored to a full one-hundred percent working order. This coming after Tony Stark introduced us to a powerful generator that his Stark Industries had worked on over the past few years. Now, many are asking... What does this new generator mean for the future of energy? Hopefully, soon, we'll have some answers. But, until then, New York City thanks Tony Stark."_

_"And, speaking of Tony Stark, during a Press-Conference this morning in New York City when power was restored without the aid of his generator, he made an announcement concerning his company. As of the 1st of next month, it will no longer be known as Stark Industries. The new name will be Stark Resilient. Tony claims the idea came from the new car that he plans on debuting in the future. Here is footage of the announcement from this morning..."_

"It just makes sense, right?" Tony recited the lines while working as they played on the television, mocking himself with a cheesy voice, "If nothing else, I've proved that I'm resilient. And, not only am I resilient, but my company is going to be the same way. So, as of the 1st - mark it off on all your animal calendars, you know you wanna - Stark Industries is going to be... Stark Resilient."

_"In other news, where's Iron Man? The Superhero has not been seen since the blackout occured. Has he hung up the armor, called it quits? Some speculate that he is unable to deal with the accident he caused."_

The sparks ceased and Tony took a step back from his work, taking the black goggles off his eyes. On the table in front of him was a brand new suit of armor. It was as black as night, very sleek.

"Diagnostics time, Vision," Tony instructed the Artificial Intelligence Unit.

Vision went to work.

This armor had been dubbed by Tony as his Stealth Armor. Ever since Nick Fury made it very apparent that Iron Man was on everyone's Most Wanted list across the globe, Tony knew that he was going to have to take certain measures. Yeah, the Origin: Mark II was always going to be the go-to suit. No doubt about it. But, when dealing with certain sticky situations, sometimes silence and invisibility was best. The main feature on this new suit of armor was the ability to go invisible for three seconds. It didn't seem like a long time, but three seconds of not being seen could prove to be the greatest invention ever when in battle or being pursued.

Actually, in a sense, he could be invisible at all times. To electronics, that is. As long as everything went according to plan, this new armor would be undetectable to radars, trackers, and any other types of security equipment. However, to do that, sacrifices needed to be made. The suit was designed to run on the lowest amount of power possible - other than when it was invisible - which was a tricky thing to do considering that Tony's body was the battery. So, with that in mind, he had to make another chest-core, this time adding in a dampener of sorts, that would limit how strong it was.

Which made it strong enough to do its job with the shrapnel, but not powerful enough to fuel the Origin suit with all its bells and whistles.

The Stealth Armor had no offensive attacks, although Tony made it so that he could tap into repulsor blasts in case of an emergency. They wouldn't pack the punch of the Origin armor, though.

"Diagnostics complete, Sir," Vision announced, "Stealth Armor is in perfect condition. Congratulations, you have created a new suit of armor for Iron Man."

"All right," Tony was happy, "Makin' progress, buildin' armors."

"Will you be testing the Stealth Armor?" Vision asked. Tony had implemented a bit of a personality upgrade, to make talking to Vision be a little more like conversing with another human being. The robotic monotone Vision was getting a little grating on the nerves.

"Yeah," with a grunt, Tony switched the different chest-cores, taking a few seconds to adjust to the pain, though it was faint. Meanwhile, the table the suit was laid upon, turned upward slightly. He then started to suit-up.

The doors to the lab opened, revealing Pepper, "That's the Stealth Armor?"

"Sure is," Tony answered, his breaths a little labored as he put the suit on piece by piece.

"Are you okay?" she became concerned.

"I just need to get used to the lower power of this core," he glanced to his chest.

"You lowered the power?" she became afraid now, "Tony, that can't be good."

"No worries," all that was left was the head portion, "It's strong enough to keep the shrapnel away."

"What about the pain?"

"Not strong enough to keep it away," he somewhat reluctantly responded, "For this suit to work, I have to keep everything in a low-state of power."

"How are you going to test it?"

"I'm gonna piss off S.H.I.E.L.D.," he explained with a smile, putting the helmet on, "So, how do I look in sexy stealth mode?" he struck a pose.

Pepper couldn't help but laugh, though she still worried, "Just... Please, be careful? Stark Resilient won't be a success if its owner doesn't live up to the label."

"Gotcha."

**:::The Triskelion:::**

Wanna make S.H.I.E.L.D. mad? Wanna get Director Nick Fury's panties all in a bunch? Wanna make them all get one of those headaches that feels like there's a parasite on the back of your eyeball? Well... It's easy. All you got to do is repeatedly fly over the Triskelion. Without fail, that'll wake them all up, give them a reason to get out of bed, get dressed, and jump in an air vehicle looking to lay down some hurt.

Tony smiled underneath the armor as he spiraled through the sky, being tailed by two jets, "How we looking on emissions, Vision?"

_"Spotless, sir," Vision answered, "You are flying as clean as possible."_

"Those cool-offs came in handy then," Iron Man concluded, still in flight, "Okay, now patch me into Fury. I know he's dying to talk to me."

_"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Director Fury shouted through the communication-link established by Vision._

"Hey, Fury," Stark felt himself becoming giddy, "Wanna see a magic trick?"

_"I command you to stand-down!"_

"I'll take that as a yes," Iron Man adjusted his flight plan and Vision disconnected the communications.

With the jets still firmly on his six, a proverbial switch was pulled and Iron Man was no longer a blip on their radar, confusing them to no end. The superhero then dipped down and doubled-back, no one able to realize where he was at the moment. He knew Fury's main office had a view, so he flew to the appropriate window, then waved his hand while hovering.

Director Fury was fit to be tied as he helplessly watched Iron Man disappear into the night with a brand new suit of armor, "Damn it!" he slammed a fist.

"Director Fury," agent Barton entered the office, followed by two more S.H.I.E.L.D. men, "It appears as though Iron Man has some kind of new..."

"It's god damn stealth tech," Fury's lips were twisted in disgust, "Iron Man has a stealth armor that we can't track!"

"That's why I'm here," Barton explained, catching Fury's attention, "It's actually something that I've been thinking about for the past couple weeks."

"Spit it out, Barton."

"What if we were able to develop a tracking device that could be shot into the armor?" Barton had a bright idea that had been brewing in his head.

"I like how you think. But, how the hell do you propose that we be able to get it on 'em?"

"I'm the best shot here," and that was the truth, plain and simple, everyone knew it, "I mean, not to brag, but they don't call me Hawkeye for nothing. Provide me the ammo, and Iron Man's whereabouts will be ours long enough to catch him."

No doubt about that. Clint Barton was the best shot not only in S.H.I.E.L.D., but quite possibly the whole word, as he never missed a target. Still, though, it seemed a long-shot. No pun intended.

"I'll think about it."

**:::A.I.M.:::**

Desperate times, right?

Obadiah Stane had made a decision over the course of the past week. Yes, the top priority would remain that his employees try to duplicate the Iron Man armor. But, the Armored Avenger wasn't his only enemy. Not his greatest, either. The main opposition he was facing at the moment was Tony Stark. Maybe more so for revenge than anything else, Obadiah Stane wanted Stark's company eliminated. Especially considering that he was going to re-name it.

"I understand that you are the best," Stane spoke to an individual in his office, this young man outfitted in a nice suit, his red hair slicked back, though it wasn't long, "At least, that's what your price tag suggests."

"You get what you pay for," he quipped in reply.

Obadiah Stane needed to get close to Tony Stark. Needed a peek at the inner workings. He couldn't do that by himself. No. He couldn't get within fifty feet of Stark without Tony turning a shoulder. So, Obadiah had himself an idea during the week. An idea that would prove a bit pricey, but overall worth it if everything went as had been planned.

"Tell me your plan," Obadiah wanted to know.

The young man in the suit obliged, "Pepper Potts has never had a boyfriend. She's always been too busy, too wrapped up in Tony's life to ever satisfy her own. Your words," he paused, "So... What I intend to do is find out everything I need to know from Tony Stark through Pepper Potts."

"I like it," Obadiah answered, "But, I'm not sure that it's going to work."

The young man was listening.

"I know Ms. Potts," Stane sighed, "She's very guarded, very aware of what's happening around her. Getting her to knock down those walls is impossible."

"Nothing's impossible," the response Obadiah wanted to hear, "Everything's possible."

"Well, when you put it like that," Obadiah smiled, "So, where do I send payment?"

"Not yet," an answer that surprised the business man, "Not until I'm done."

Now Obadiah really liked that.

"It's how I inspire trust in the client," the young man explained, "It's how I make them believe that I'm going to finish the job and get the results they want."

"I like that," Obadiah stood with a grin on his face, "See, now I trust you. Now, I have confidence in you."

"That's good."

"One last thing, though," Obadiah raised a finger, other hand in his pocket, "That name you gave me isn't the real one, is it?"

"No," he smiled somewhat softly.

"Well?"

"Just call me," he hesitated for a second or two, "_Spymaster_."

**:::Stark Tower:::**

Iron Man collapsed in the lab, losing the struggle to make it where his higher-powered chest-core was waiting for him. On the floor, he gasped for clean oxygen after taking off the helmet. His calculations were off, he took away too much power. Didn't give himself enough.

"Tony!" Pepper had stayed close, just in case, and knelt down beside him, "What is it? Tell me what I can do!"

Grunting, groaning, breathing labored, Tony took off sections of the armor, revealing a chest-core that was barely still in working order. The sweat poured off of his face, tears filling his eyes. He strained as he moaned through gritted teeth and patted the core.

Pepper hurried, mind frantic, running to where the better one was. She grabbed it and raced back, helping Tony to replace it.

Seconds later, he was able to breathe easier, and the pain faded gradually, "Wow, that was close."

"Too close," Pepper remarked as she helped him up, "You're not wearing that thing again."

"It's not the suit or the core," he explained, taking a seat, "It's not even the pain. It's the shrapnel. I can't deal with the pain and the shrapnel at the same time. I start panicking and everything goes to hell. I need to get this shit out of my body. I can't run on lower power when I have to worry about other things."

"How?" Pepper was curious, "You said yourself; It's in too deep to be healed or taken out."

"I'll just have to dig in as deep as I can," Stark was brain-storming, "And pray that I finish the procedure fast enough to be able to heal."

"That's insane," unbelievable, "You can't perform a surgery on yourself!"

"You're right, I can't," he agreed, "That's why I'm gonna have Jarvis do it."

Pepper looked like she had just swallowed a bad egg, "You're going to have Jarvis surgically remove shrapnel from your chest?"

"Sure am," he looked at her cockeyed, "You got something against my butler, Ms. Potts?"

"You're doing it again, Tony," she was serious, "You're rushing into something. You get an idea and instantly act on it. That new weapon of yours backfired. If this surgery backfires, you'll die."

"Did you know that Jarvis was a member of the British Army in World War II?" Stark raised, "He was a medic specifically used for plane crashes. It was a really good idea. In fact, he even fought against the Red Skull with Captain America."

"Those are stories, Tony," Pepper sighed, "There's no evidence that a Red Skull or Captain America existed."

"Whatever," he shook his head, "That isn't what this is about, anyway."

"Tony..."

"It's not up for discussion," Tony interrupted, "At first, I thought I could live with this shrapnel in my chest, but now I realize I can't. The pain from the neural tissue sucks. But, at least it won't kill me. Now, be a good assistant and fetch Jarvis for me, would ya?"

"You're making a mistake, Tony," Pepper begrudgingly did as her employer asked, "A huge mistake."

**:::Hammer Labs:::**

"Everything is prepared and in place," Arthur Parks let M.O.D.O.K. know, "Just give the order and my lasers will do their work."

The massive body for M.O.D.O.K.'s Ultimate Weapon had been placed together. All that remained to be done was to fuse it into one, courtesy of Parks' laser technology. There were a dozen different - for lack of a better term - guns pointed at the metal body. Somewhat reminiscent of Frankenstein's creature, this technology would give life to M.O.D.O.K.'s weapon.

"They will be _good enough_," M.O.D.O.K. said as he and Parks were stationed behind protective glass.

"It was my technology that created you," Arthur reminded him, "My lasers that made you into what you are today."

"Yes," M.O.D.O.K. agreed to an extent, "However, if they were M.O.D.O.K.'s, then he would not have been transformed into a monster."

"The stress created by the growth of your brain caused an irreversible trauma to your body, there was no saving it."

"No saving it... With _your_ technology."

"That's it!" Parks was fed up, "The past 48 hours, you have done nothing but shut me out and insult me every chance you get. I'm done with it, and I'm taking my tech with me."

"No," M.O.D.O.K. had that grim stare, "You... Are... Not."

"I have seniority over you, Tarleton!"

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" M.O.D.O.K. roared before unleashing a purple energy beam that traveled from his forehead into Parks' chest, sending him flying back through the glass, right onto the body of M.O.D.O.K.'s Ultimate Weapon.

The pain surged through Parks body as he experienced a paralysis effect. Though, he estimated it was only temporary, "GEORGE!"

"THAT IS NOT MY NAME!"

The switch as hit and the room filled with a blinding light courtesy of the lasers...

"YOU FREAK!" Parks screamed as the lasers swallowed his body whole, "IT'S TOO MUCH POWER! AAAHHHHH!"

M.O.D.O.K. displayed no concern nor care as he watched with zero emotion while the process took place. Even as the agonizing screams of Arthur Parks echoed, M.O.D.O.K. didn't even flinch.

In minutes, the process was complete and the lasers were shut down. The Ultimate Weapon was molded into one piece. Meanwhile, Arthur Parks was nowhere to be seen.

**:::Stark Tower:::**

"Sir, surely there must be another option?"

Tony Stark was laying on a table, shirt off, chest-core ready to be taken out. The time had come to deal with this shrapnel once and for all. It was always a hindrance, but tonight it had become one that Tony could no longer ignore or live with. Standing with him, was Pepper on the right and Jarvis on the left...

"You were a medic in the Army," Stark reminded his faithful butler, "My dad said that you were one of the youngest ever recorded. You fixed people, Jarvis, soldiers. Taking out shrapnel is easy for you. This isn't nothin', right? Practice. Like riding a bike, anyway."

"I've done nothing like this since the war," Jarvis didn't trust his abilities enough, "I could make a mistake, or maybe not finish fast enough. I do wish you would contact a professional."

"Damn it, Jarvis, you are a professional," Stark needed to inject confidence into the man, "I have Vision up and running, he'll help you. Pepper's here, too. Listen, all you need to do is dig deep enough to pull it out. Even if it's touching my heart, as long as it's out quick enough, I'll heal."

"The neural tissue," Jarvis mentioned.

"Look, I know how bad this is gonna hurt..."

Pepper interrupted, "You could go into shock. We don't know the extent of your healing abilities. Other than shrapnel lodging into your heart, there could be something else than can kill you."

"Fine!" Tony shouted, taking out the chest-core and smashing it, instantly feeling the pain, "Hardball it is!"

Vision immediately took action, "Vitals dropping significantly. Shrapnel is already moving."

"Jarvis!" Stark growled through gritted teeth, the color changing in his face, "Just cut me open and dig in!"

"I am demanding a raise after this," Jarvis took to the procedure, scrambling to cut Tony open and search the area that he was told to. The butler gagged as blood spurted from the wound. This was ghastly, above and beyond anything he could imagine when Howard Stark hired him so many years ago.

"Oh my god," Pepper cried as Tony's eyes rolled into the back of his skull, "Vision?"

"Mr. Stark is going into shock," Vision confirmed the fear, "However, his body's healing capabilities are preventing anything worse."

"Moving around carefully around the heart," Jarvis could feel damage being done then fixed the very next instant if not sooner, "The healing is remarkable. I never realized... Ah-ha, I have one!"

Acting quickly, but not overly so, Jarvis pulled out the piece and handed it to Pepper, careful to leave one hand inside because Tony's body was healing around it.

"Three more pieces," Vision said.

"Another!" Jarvis exclaimed, repeating the process from seconds ago, "And another!"

"Vitals are dangerously low," Vision spoke again, "Healing capabilities have slowed. The last piece is touching Mr. Stark's heart."

"No!" Pepper shouted, "Jarvis, hurry!"

"I can't see it," he searched like a madman, "Oh bloody hell, where is it?"

Blood dribbled past Tony's lips.

"Healing capabilities have dropped below sixty-percent of normal for Mr. Stark."

Tony's body started twitching, then jumped into a full-on seizure.

"He is failing," Vision surmised, "The shrapnel is piercing his..."

"I'VE GOT IT!" Jarvis yelled and then pulled it out, along with the medical instruments. He then stumbled down onto his backside, holding the last piece of shrapnel.

Pepper placed a towel over the wound, feeling underneath her fingers and the cloth as it slowly stitched itself back together. Tony's body had also started to settle, the seizure fading into nothing.

"Healing capabilities have risen to seventy percent," Vision informed them, "Seventy-five. Eighty. Ninety. Now at a full one-hundred percent."

Pepper took the towel away, breathing relief as the wound was officially healed. Thank god!

"It would be wise to place a chest-core," Vision offered advice.

"He broke it, though." Pepper feared the worst.

"I have... another one," Tony mumbled, barely awake, "Extra. Spare. Whatever."

"The procedure was a success, Mr. Stark." Vision told him.

"See? I told ya... No sweat," Tony very weakly got up from the table and walked over to a cabinet, grabbing a new core and placing it inside his chest. Momentarily, he was back to normal, wiping some sweat from his forehead, "Well, maybe a little."

"I never realized how strong your healing was," Jarvis was still amazed, and still holding onto the last piece of shrapnel, "This bugger was partway inside your heart, yet you survived. You're good as new. It is downright bloody amazing."

"I need a shower," Tony walked away, "By the way, you got your raise."

"And he acts like it were nothing," Jarvis chuckled, "We have just extracted four lethal pieces of shrapnel from within his body and to him it's nothing more than another day at the office."

Pepper was speechless. Maybe Tony and Jarvis could laugh about this, but she couldn't. It did not go nearly as well as Tony estimated it would. He nearly died. If Jarvis was unable to grab the last piece before it fully entered Tony's heart, he may have been dead. No, he would have been dead. There was no way his heart could have withstood a foreign object such as shrapnel inside of it. And they weren't equipped well enough for open-heart surgery.

Tony Stark came close to dying tonight.

Tony Stark came so close to never finding out how Pepper Potts really felt about him.

_**ZEROBEN'S IRON MAN**_

A LOT HAPPENED. Stealth Armor, Spymaster, Ultimo is created, Living Laser is created. And, I do away with the shrapnel. But, let's not forget, in this Tony has the extra neural tissue and the pain is gone when he wears the power core. Which, by the way, I think I've called that thing a dozen different names. But, from now on, the one Tony has is going to be referred to officially as Chest-Core.

Also, I've officially dubbed the first two armors as Origin Armor: Mark I and Origin Armor: Mark II. So, adding the Stealth Armor, he now has three. The Stealth Armor has always been a favorite of mine, so it was fun to be able to add it in.

Arc Finale is next.


	14. Public Enemy Number One Part III

_In case you missed it; I have added ZeroBen's Thor. Its first arc takes place between this "Public Enemy Number One" and the next Iron Man arc which is "Social Collapse"_

**ZeroBen's Iron Man**

**Chapter 14- "Public Enemy Number One" Part III (Arc Finale)**

It was a great time to be a scientist.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Scientist Henry 'Hank' Pym, considered himself lucky. Courtesy of Iron Man and everything else that had been happening recently around the world, science and technology had made serious and significant leaps and bounds. What was once merely material for science-fiction theatre and novels, was now undeniable reality. There was just so much to work from and with, so many ideas spinning in his mind.

In his own personal laboratory, Hank was busy at work. He wanted to be the one that put S.H.I.E.L.D. over the top. But, how would he do that? What leap in the field of science would need to happen in order to ensure success?

For right now, he could only wonder and prepare for an as of yet unknown idea.

**:::Triskelion:::**

"That better not happen again, Danvers."

SHIELD Director Nick Fury was pissed off. The little incident from before with Iron Man paying the Triskelion a surprise visit had rubbed him the wrong way and left an irritating rash. And now, Head of SHIELD Security, Carol Danvers, was receiving an earful.

"Sir, with all due respect," she defended herself, "It's Iron Man. He's been a step ahead of us ever since he showed up. We've been playing catch-up and failing miserably at every aspect. We need a new approach."

It wasn't enough to label Iron Man as Public Enemy Number One. If the game was hardball, then Fury needed to really swing for the fences. An idea already firmly planted in his mind, he looked to Carol Danvers, never a more serious look upon his face, "Maybe it's time... We really go public."

**:::Meanwhile:::**

Regardless of being labeled Public Enemy Number One, Iron Man needed to stay out there in the world, needed to remain active at all times. There was no way he could let that EMP slip-up tear him down. So, with that in mind, Tony once again suited up and took to the skies as Iron Man, searching for anyone or anything that needed help. Funny how he thought of the word... _anything_.

It was when he was closing in on the skies above California that he received a message from Vision...

_"Sir, there is a disturbance."_

"Finally," Stark replied, oddly relieved, "Some action. Lay it on me, Vision."

_"Something big has just appeared on the grid and it's rather massive."_

Tony's first thought was the re-emergence of Fin Fang Foom. Damn it, the action he had in mind wasn't quite that massive. He wanted a challenge, not a damn death wish, "Fin Fang... Holy shit!"

Iron Man stopped in mid-air once he came upon the disturbance. What the hell was that thing? It looked like a giant robot. Something straight out of a science fiction movie from the fifties. It was massive, towering just as high as the buildings it was walking past and crumbling effortlessly.

Tony was instantly clueless on what to do. He couldn't battle this thing in a city landscape. Once it toppled over, it would take a quarter of the city right along with it. Not to mention all the innocents that could be injured in the process.

Indeed, this thing was massive and it had a humanoid-like appearance but was covered in this silver metallic skin. The damn thing truly was a giant robot. Where the hell had it come from? It couldn't have just popped up out of nowhere!

News choppers and Air Force were coming in hot. Great, a perfect mix. SHIELD was probably on its way, too. There was no avoiding the fact that this situation was fast turning into a disaster.

"THE ULTIMATE WEAPON WANTS IRON MAN," its mechanical voice boomed.

"Ultimate Weapon, huh?" Iron Man boldly approached, flying straight for it, caution thrown to the wind, "Well, at least we're on a first name basis."

"IRON MAN IS OBSOLETE," it said as millions below scattered in a frenzy, "IRON MAN MUST BE ELIMINATED."

"Not gonna happen," Iron Man was hovering in front of its face, surprised that it hadn't already attacked him. It seemed... sophisticated in some strange way.

The Ultimate Weapon's otherwise white eyes began glowing red, "ELIMINATION OF IRON MAN HAS BEGUN."

"Uh-oh," Iron Man quickly reacted, zipping up and out of the way as two large beams of red energy bursted from the robot's eyes, "NO!"

They took out a news chopper, sending it into a tailspin, spiraling down. Reacting even quicker than before, Iron Man was now the one spiraling as he managed to slip underneath the falling chopper and just barely carry it to safety while saving the crew's lives that were inside.

They were all scared speechless, which gave Iron Man an opening to speak, "It isn't worth it! Get out of here and tell everyone else that they need to evacuate the city."

"LOOK OUT!" one of the crew screamed in terror.

Iron Man turned his head just in time to narrowly miss a fist from the robot crashing through the pavement, to the sewers below. This caused Iron Man and the helicopter, with the people in it, to fall.

"Damn it," Tony growled underneath the armor, "I can't take care of this thing if I have to keep looking out for everyone else. And wow, that sounded incredibly douchey."

He moved over to the helicopter, which by some miracle hadn't exploded into bits by now. The crew members were injured, but it wasn't anything they wouldn't survive.

"IRON MAN IS THE ONLY TARGET," The Ultimate Weapon said.

Tony sighed underneath the armor as he started flying through the sewers, trying to get behind this thing and search for a weak point, "I'm always getting singled out."

Once behind the colossal machine, Iron Man blasted through a manhole cover and shot into the sky, only to discover that it was now staring right at him, the eyes powering up for another round. It was ready, there was no time to prepare. No time to defend himself. He had only enough seconds to initiate a command he didn't plan on using so soon but was now thankful he implemented...

Knowing he was in for a world of hurt, he started the command, "Initiate Sentient... AHHH!"

Iron Man was blasted, taking the full-force of what this _Ultimo_ had to offer. The superhero was sent crashing to the streets below, impacting the pavement harder than he ever imagined he could without dying. Smoke rose from the armor. Well, what was left of it. The entire midsection was gone, and the chest-core was busted, which meant the pain was so intense that it nearly crippled Tony. Most of the armor's legs were gone, the same for the arms. Thankfully, the helmet remained intact, but barely. Its only purpose at the moment was concealing Iron Man's true identity. Most of the spandex suit he wore under the armor remained intact. But, the term war-torn came to mind.

Pick yourself up. The pain is only in your mind, your body's healing.

Tony painfully sat up, seeing this towering machine prepare to literally stomp him out of the equation. Its huge foot raised up in the air, prepared to drop. Tony only had a moment to spare and he used it wisely. After a quick deep breath, he rolled out of the way, just barely missing the attack.

"YOU ARE DEFEATED," Ultimo declared, watching the now helpless Iron Man try in vain to scurry away, "SURRENDER IS THE ONLY LOGICAL OPTION REMAINING."

"Screw you," Tony muttered through the pain, shaking off bits of broken armor, now very glad that he had invested in designing a skin-tight suit to wear underneath.

"SCREW ME? THAT TERM DOES NOT REGISTER."

Tony ducked into an alleyway, barely able to stand. He sat on the opposite side of a dumbster, just trying to catch his breath and kill some time. The next thing he knew, the building his back was currently against was beginning to crumble and collapse...

**:::Stark Tower:::**

_"Do not adjust your TV sets, people. You are watching live coverage of an unreal battle taking place in San Francisco at this very moment. I cannot believe I'm saying this, but there is a gigantic robot fighting Iron Man in a heavy populated city area. There are civilians injured, there are emergency crews trying to evacuate them, buildings have come down, streets have been destroyed. As has possibly Iron Man as well. We are awaiting confirmation, but it would appear as though Iron Man has been heavily injured in some capacity. He took the brunt of an energy blast from this enormous machine, and has not been seen since. I repeat, Iron Man has..."_

She was shaking like a leaf in the wind. It felt like everything was starting to crumble down around her, piling up at her feet. It was overwhelming, far too much to handle at once. Iron Man... Her boss... Tony Stark... was literally being dismantled on live television. Damn those people, had they no heart? No common decency? Just standing there and watching a superhero fall apart, rather than at least making some attempt to help out.

Then again, how does one help out against a towering robotic machine hellbent on destruction? Perhaps the answer is... You don't.

**:::California:::**

He could barely breathe.

The pain was torture without his chest core and he could barely breathe with the mask on and no power. He couldn't take it off, though. If he did, the world would discover Iron Man's true identity and Tony Stark would be ruined, as would the careers and lives of countless others under his employment. Least of which being one Pepper Potts.

Iron Man had ducked into a building, all communications with Vision cut off. The place was empty and threatening to collapse with each and every new step that this Terminator freak took down the streets. Laying on the floor, trying not to think too hard about his life coming to a drastic and definitive end, he wondered and hoped if his distress signal to Vision got out in time. Because, if it didn't, he was certifiably screwed beyond belief.

The ground shook, as did the building. Then came the loudest thundering noises Tony had ever heard in his life as this Ultimo took the building down piece by little piece. Oh god, this was it! He was done for. So much for the great Iron Man defending the world. Jesus, hadn't even made it through his rookie year.

Summoning what strength he still had, Iron Man picked himself up and and hurried to the closest exit he could find, staggering the entire way. He made it out just in the nick of time. Right behind him, the rest of the building came down. He had escaped, yet was now stuck in the middle of nowhere. Right out in the open.

Behind gritted teeth, Iron Man braced himself.

Suddenly, like a blinking beacon of hope, in came a SHIELD squadron of jets, a helicopter tailing closely behind. They started firing everything they had, though it seemed to do make nothing more than dings and tiny dents.

"INTERFERENCE CANNOT BE TOLERATED."

Then two planes were struck down, and two others were shot down. This left only two more. However, the distraction gave Tony enough time to scurry away to a manhole cover and duck under ground. He dropped right into the dirty sewer water, never happier to smell the scent of waste. He was in a bad way, hoping and praying that his signal had gotten out to Vision.

Two more crashes and firey explosions. Common sense told Tony that they were caused by the other two SHIELD planes being dropped.

"C'mon Vision," Tony muttered painfully to himself, clutching his abdomen while laying in the sewer water.

**:::Meanwhile:::**

"Damn it!"

SHIELD Director Nick Fury was in that helicopter, watching from a safe distance as a bunch of his boys went down in blazes. What the hell were they gonna do? What ever this god damn thing was, it was destroying an entire city just to get to Iron Man. And, Iron Man was somewhere down there, malfunctioning and staring death straight in the face.

"If you just let me do it," SHIELD agent Clint Barton said, standing next to Fury.

"There's no weak points," Fury said.

"Everything has a weak point," Clint pointed out, "Just let me down there, I'll parkour the rooftops and find a weak spot. What have you got to lose?"

"A damn good agent."

"Gimme the shot, Sir," Clint wanted an opportunity, "There's nothing else we can do. But, if we don't at least try something, you can say goodbye to Iron Man and California."

It went against his better judgement, but Fury gave Clint the go ahead as the giant machine reached a massive fist into the sewers below the streets, "Do not make me regret this, _Hawkeye_."

"No worries there, Sir."

Clint put on a specially designed mask that included high-tech goggles, and then grabbed some very unqiue arrows, along with a state of the art bow. It was his time to shine.

**:::Down below:::**

"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna frickin' die."

Tony was literally rolling out of the way, running on fumes, narrowly - and I do mean narrowly - missing the grasp of the robot. Eventually, though, he just couldn't keep it up, and ended up trapped within the robot's fist.

From there, Iron Man was helpless as Ultimo brought him into the sky, holding him like a trophy. This truly was the end. Iron Man couldn't fight back. By this point, even if his signal had gotten out, there still wasn't enough time left. He was at the end of the line.

"HEY, ASSHOLE!" a voice shouted from the rooftops.

Then came an explosion to the back of Ultimo's head. It did nothing but anger the machine, though. It turned its head, finding a mere human standing on the ledge of an unstable rooftop, holding a bow and arrows.

"INTERFERENCE CANNOT BE TOLERATED."

"Yeah," Clint talked smack to something that looked like it could blow up the entire world if it saw fit, "You already said that. How about something new?"

Clint saw the next move coming a mile away. And there was nothing he could do but dive out of the way as this machine threw Iron Man in a spiral right at him. Iron Man impacted the building at a lethal rate and Clint had to be fast on his feet if he wanted to survive.

Ultimo prepared for another optic blast.

"Damn it!" with the use of his goggles, the only weak point he could detect was just below the base of the head, which meant evasive maneuvers were in order because there was no way he was getting back there now. Clint ran to the back of the building and jumped off, landing with a roll on a lower one. From there, he just kept on running.

Courtesy of the blast, another building came down. This one, seemingly, right on top of Iron Man.

Underneath massive piles of carnage and rubble, Iron Man laid in a broken heap, unable to move, barely able to breathe. The building wasn't huge, but it was big enough. And, by this point, the pain was by far the most excruciating and horrendous that he had ever felt in his life. He could feel his body sewing and stitching itself together, setting the bones back in place, replenishing the blood that had been lost.

"Can't... Give... Up," he refused to stay down, climbing slowly out of the wreckage, staring death in its eyes as the enemy towered above him, "I'm not dead yet. It's gonna take a hell of a lot more to kill me!"

"UNDERSTOOD."

Ultimo lifted a mighty foot, prepared to stomp down on Iron Man, crushing him into oblivion, leaving nothing left to heal. And, damn it, the hero couldn't even move a single step fast enough to get out of the way.

Out of nowhere, multiple blasts impacted Ultimo. Enough of a hesitation on the robot's part, and Tony was somehow able to move out of harm's way, Ultimo's foot going right through the ground.

The signal got through!

Soaring through the sky was the Stealth Armor, and Ultimo couldn't track it, swatting at it like it was an insect.

Tony laughed underneath the iron mask, relief giving him the ability to ignore the building plain flooding his system. He stumbled over to a barely standing empty building, the second armor following him.

Moments later, a rejuvenated Iron Man emerged from the building...

"Alright, Vision!" Tony cheered under the stealth armor, "Scan for soft spots, buddy," he buzzed around Ultimo.

"THIS DOES NOT REGISTER. AN ERROR HAS OCCURED."

_"The base of the head shows a small area where damage can be inflicted. If enough is done, it may malfunction."_

"Good to know!" Iron Man acted quickly, blasting the area, but nothing happened and he was barely able to dodge a swinging strike, "Shit, I need more power. Okay, think, think!"

Ultimo swatted at Iron Man, missing but destroying yet another building. At this rate, there would literally be nothing left of the city once this fight was finally over. Hopefully, everyone escaped unharmed.

"Vision," Iron Man instructed the AI unit, "Divert all power to the chest-core. I mean... All of it."

_"Sir, I would advise against that. If it proves unsuccessful, you will be vulnerable to another attack."_

"There's no discussion, I'm doing it!"

Iron Man circled around Ultimo, his ego inflating as he realized just how clueless this robot was to his whereabouts. This Stealth Armor really was a work of pure genius. A moment later, Iron Man could feel the power building in his chest, yet at the very same time draining him of his own natural bio-energy. The pain was coming back, his breaths were heavy and deep. He was risking a lot. But, there was no other option at this point.

"All or nothing!" Tony exclaimed through gritted teeth, blasting away with everything he had at the Ultimate Weapon's ultimate weak spot. Not a second after, Iron Man dropped down to the earth with a sickening noise, landing in a pile of ruin.

"POWER IS... FADI..."

The Ultimate Weapon tilted forward as an explosion blew out the back. Then it fell forward, nearly causing an earthquake when it landed, if not actually causing one.

It was done. The battle was over.

His healing ability doing its job, Iron Man was slowly able to pick himself up and started making his way over to the fallen enemy. However, before he could get there, the SHIELD helicopter was landing and Director Fury was already laying claim.

"This belongs to SHIELD," Fury called off Iron Man, Clint standing perched in the distance with an arrow at the ready, "I already have clearance from the President."

"This doesn't belong to you," Iron Man was still healing, "This thing needs to be taken apart piece by piece and destroyed."

"It could be useful."

"Useful?" Tony was pissed, "Are you out of your mind? There's no good use for this thing, it's a living weapon!"

"Who knows," Fury said, "We may need to use it against you someday."

"It was a fluke that it had a weak spot," Iron Man explained angrily, "You're risking the safety of the entire world by having SHIELD work with it."

"It's a new age, Iron Man."

"Whatever," Iron Man was disgusted, leaving the scene by taking flight.

**:::Hammer Labs:::**

MODOK sat alone in a darkened room, feeling miserable. Damn it, if only Hammer Technology was better. If only it was more reliable. This failure wasn't MODOK's fault. It wasn't his failure. It was Justin Hammer's failure. If MODOK was going to achieve any significant measure of success, it was going to be because of his own personal technology.

Yes.

He would work from the ground up. He would create his own organization. His own technology. His own group of dedicated workers and yes men. It was MODOK who would reign supreme over all. It would be his intelligence alone that would not only defeat Iron Man. But, also, rule the world.

Oh yes.

The Intelligencia was coming.

**:::Stark Tower:::**

Drinking one after another, Tony laid in a reclining chair in his lab, watching the news broadcasts detailing the events of Iron Man versus The Giant Robot. And seriously, could they not be at least a little more creative?

_"Over a quarter of San Francisco has been laid to waste. Nothing more than rubble and wreckage. What you are seeing now on your TV screens is live footage of the clean-up. The government organization known as SHIELD is helping with the clean-up and making sure that everyone is safe. However, tragically, eleven deaths have been counted thus far. That is..."_

"Turn it off," Tony ordered Vision and the AI complied.

What a day, huh? Yeah, Iron Man saved the world. Too bad it came at the cost of the beloved San Francisco and at least eleven innocent people. He was not even close to prepared for that thing. Where the hell did it come from, anyway? The technology was advanced. Far more advanced than anything Stark had seen outside of his own creations and designs. If only SHIELD didn't take the damn thing, so he could have a look at it.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself," the voice of Pepper as she entered the lab.

Tony just shook his head.

"What," Pepper took a seat next to him, "Every time this happens, you're just going to drown your sorrows and beat yourself up until the next thing comes along?"

"I'm supposed to be saving lives."

"You did."

"Tell that to the eleven families that are broken!" Tony shouted, throwing his glass against a wall across the room, "Fin Fang Foom was a disaster. Volstok was even worse. And half of San Francisco is gone. I'm not doing my job, I'm not getting it done. People are dying left and right."

"If you didn't stop them all, it would have been so much worse," Pepper explained, trying to soften the emotional pain he was going through, "It's horrible, it sucks, but it could have all been ten times worse."

Tony just sighed again, laying back in the seat.

**:::The Triskelion:::**

Henry Pym stared in amazement at what was in front of him. While the body had ended up to be too damaged, SHIELD were able to salvage the head of what was now known as Ultimo. And, as Pym dissected the head, he found an extremely advanced intelligence system. Luckily, it hadn't been fried or damaged badly. With a smile, he realized that he may be able to salvage it. He may be able to work from it. He wasn't sure exactly what would come of this, but there was one idea that he had in mind...

"Will you be able to use it?" his fiancee and lab partner, Janet Van Dyne, asked as she stood next to him.

"You remember that idea about the expendable soldiers?" Hank replied with a smirk.

**:::San Francisco:::**

_"You are watching this live, folks. Seconds ago; a man stepped forward by the name of Nick Fury, called himself the Director of SHIELD and then said that he has a major announcement. Let's listen in."_

Indeed, there was Director Nick Fury with Carol Danvers at his side, "I just wanted to lay down a few things here and now. I want the American people as well as everyone else to know the truth. First and foremost, the threat we were faced with today has been disposed of. Permanently. However, Iron Man is still out there, taking advantage of a loss in our troops to escape."

"To make it perfectly clear; Iron Man is still considered an enemy at this time, though we obviously acknowledge that it was him who aided us in disposing of the robot. My name is Nick Fury and I am the Director of SHIELD. And, my promise to all of you out there, is that SHIELD is working dilligently around the clock, learning, adapating, making sure that this world is a safer place for all of us."

"It's no secret that we live in a new age. An age where superheroes and villains exist. An age where technology has reached new potentials. With this in mind, we will soon be publishing a special phone number that you can call. It will deal with what we are now labeling as Cape Activity. If you see something that strikes you as superhuman, do not hesitate to call."

Meanwhile, as this impromptu public address took place, the man that had been hired by Obadiah Stane to spy on Tony Stark had just earned himself a little bit of a pay raise. How? Well, he had snuck past the officials, mingling with the clean-up crew, and managed to find Iron Man's discarded helmet and a few other parts and pieces.

_**ZEROBEN'S IRON MAN**_

_I don't like this chapter. It's just blah. I accomplished everything I wanted, but it left a sour taste in my mouth. Next arc will be a lot better. Hopefully. I'm not sure if I wanna spell them all out, but I alluded to a lot of future storylines in this chapter. Five different ones._

_Before I go; The first official news on ZeroBen's Avengers... The first arc is going to be called "Invasion" and should be pretty obvious what it'll be. Also, I now know the official roster._


	15. Whatever Happened to Iron Man? Part I

**IMPORTANT NOTE; **I'm in the process of re-writing the previous chapters. The only major changes will be eliminating AIM as Obadiah's company. It's now Stane International. And also making Tony's grandfather a HUGE part of what starts superheroes. The major reason for the editing is to make this story better and fit tighter with the rest of the universe that it's supposed to be the foundation of. This is somewhat a reboot of itself, but I'm not starting from scratch.

**COVER: **Iron Man's image on a Missing Poster plastered against a brick wall.

**ZeroBen's Invincible Iron Man**

**"Whatever Happened to Iron Man?"**

**Part I**

The images were haunting him. They were nightmares dancing in his head. Tiny little goblins with glowing eyes and gnarly teeth, cackling as they played happily in the fire, moving to the music of innocent people screaming. It crippled him, made the simple task of getting out of bed seem insurmountable. Made daily routines painful and appear pointless. Made him return to the warm arms of old destructive habits...

A drunken Tony Stark sat alone in the dark. It was the main office of the headquarters of his new company, aptly entitled, _Stark Resilient_. Ironically titled, was more like it. In his opinion, there was nothing resilient about himself. Nothing resilient about the so-called Invincible Iron Man, either. They were both flukes. Both benefiting from hype, and nothing else. Both washed up failures that were no help to anyone anymore.

"I knew I would find you here," a frustrated Pepper Potts entered the room, turning on the light and approaching her employer, the heels of her shoes echoing as they tapped against the floor.

"Go away, please," Tony mumbled, attempting to fall asleep in his chair at his desk, "Your hair is too bright and your name reminds me of sneezing and cooking. Two of my most least favorite things."

"You can't keep doing this, Tony," Pepper stated with confidence, "It's been three months since San Francisco. It's a very horrible tragedy, but life goes on. You need to put it behind you."

"I'm... I'm... _Iron Man_," he sighed sadly, the defeat literally coursing through his veins, "Superhero extraordinaire, right? Yeah, what a crock!"

"It's not your fault that there's a madman out there somewhere that created a giant robot," Pepper needed to snap him out of this funk, "You have to stop blaming yourself for everything. If it wasn't for you, what happened in San Francisco and what happened with that god forsaken dragon could have both been ten times worse."

"It seems like... Ever since I started... Everything's gotten worse instead of better. Like, I changed the world... For the worse."

"That's not true," she disagreed, "It's all circumstance and coincidence."

"Well, one thing that I know isn't a coincidence, is that I'm done with being Iron Man."

"Tony..."

"No, it's the truth," his drunken mind had been made up, "I'm doing more harm than good. It's over, it's done, thanks for coming out, don't forget to tip your waitress."

Talk about getting what you've always wanted only to find it's not what you needed. Hearing Tony say he was done with Iron Man was great to hear. But, not for the rest of the world. They needed their hero. The world needed Iron Man. It didn't matter if it was huge threats or natural disasters, Iron Man couldn't leave. One way or another, Pepper understood that she had to convince Tony to change his mind.

"It's been three months," she said, "Three months without Iron Man, and the world's no better. They need you, Tony."

"Meh, let SHIELD take care of it."

Pepper cocked a brow, "Really?"

**:::Florida:::**

It was a calm and quiet night in northern Florida. Not much traffic downtown, not many people out and about. Of course, that may have been due to the fact that this particular city was put under a state of emergency due to some 'explosive' cape-activity.

Rather suddenly, the front of the second floor of a building was blown out, and SHIELD agent, Clint Barton, was thrown through the air, thankfully landing atop a parked car and rolling off into the street below.

"Ahhh," he groaned as he slowly picked himself up off the concrete, "How did I not break anything?"

Clint was decked out in his new special black and purple uniform, coming fully equipped with a special set of glasses, and his favorite weapons... High-tech bow and arrows created by his new favorite scientist, Hank Pym.

Clint heard more explosions, shouting, and then a screech as SHIELD agent Bobbi Morse was flung through the air, much like he was. Thinking fast, Clint hopped atop the car and leaped up to break her fall. She ended up falling on him, on the sidewalk, in a heap.

Bobbi also had on a special uniform. It was mostly navy blue and white, with black boots and a black jacket. She also wore special glasses designed by Hank Pym, much like her partner.

"We suck at this," Bobbi painfully picked herself up off the ground, extending a helping hand to Clint.

"We still got Blonsky in there," Clint mentioned, now standing, "Hopefully he's doing better than..."

"AAAAAHHHHH!" another agent flew through the air, landing atop the car, on his feet and then into a roll off of it.

"Blonsky!" Clint exclaimed.

"Get behind the car!" Blonsky shouted.

"What?" Bobbi asked, confused.

"When Blonsky says get back..." they dove behind the vehicle just as a massive explosion rocked the building, taking it down to the ground in a pile of rubble, "... You get back!"

After the dust settled, the three agents stood up, surveying the damage. Luckily, just the abandoned building had come down. Nothing else with it. What was the status of their target, though?

Before they could do anything else, the vehicle suddenly turned itself on, and a presence came through the radio in a hollow sounding voice, "I'm... Still... Alive."

Then the car simply drove away, spinning its tires and squealing its brakes. How the hell were they supposed to stop someone that wasn't a someone? How were they supposed to stop a something that was made entirely of pure energy?

**:::Headquarters of The Maggia:::**

The Maggia.

An international crime syndicate turned terrorist organization. Its leader was a man known simply as Count Nefaria. Their main Base of Operations were located deep within Italy. Though, that was unknown by anyone whom lacked the permission to be made aware of it. The Maggia may have been known worldwide, but they retained a certain level of secrecy to be able to go about their business in a comfortable fashion.

Count Nefaria may have been a terrorist, but he was one of substance and style. His facial hair was just so, the hair on his head slick with not a single strand out of place. Seeing him out of his white suit was almost an impossible feat. Just as it was nearly impossible to see him leave the Maggia headquarters. However, that was going to change very soon...

Count Nefaria stood in front of his loyal followers, men dressed in black with hats and emotionless white masks to hide their identities. To the side of them was an individual that could best be described as a Black Knight from times of sword and sorcery. Albeit, much further along in the field of technology.

"We are launching our first offensive attack on the United States," the Count proudly announced, "Our missiles are ready. Our men are ready. And, my Maggia, I am ready. Our first objective is to free the unjustly imprisoned Mandarin. What he knows is invaluable to our mission. With him on our side, victory is all but ours to claim."

The men listened as Count Nefaria spoke further, "Now, as I've said in the past, obliteration isn't what we are looking for. Conquering the United States is the objective. Once we have them, the rest will fall in line. And once that happens, everything will belong to us. The entire world will belong to The Maggia!"

**:::Triskelion:::**

It was kind of like getting chewed out by the head coach after blowing a big game.

Clint Barton, Bobbi Morse and Emil Blomsky had blown the mission. Their main objective was to stop the villain labeled the Living Laser at any and all costs. But, that's not what happened. And, once again, SHIELD was made out to be fools in the media. Why? Because they couldn't even catch one little troublesome villain. Of course, that little troublesome villain was comprised of pure lasers, but it's not like anyone cared about that, right?

"To be honest," Blonsky spoke out of turn, "I think it's shitty of you to get after us for this."

Fury cocked a brow over his good eye. It had been awhile since one of his men talked like that to him. He was prepared to respond, but was stopped by General Thaddeus Ross, who was also there.

"Shitty?" General Ross questioned, "Really, now? See, I disagree here. What's actually shitty... Are your skills in being a SHIELD..."

"Screw you!" Blonsky exclaimed, "It's a guy made up entirely of energy. How are we supposed to contain him if we can't even fight him?"

"With all due respect," Clint spoke up, albeit with much better manners, "He has a point. We brought down entire building on this guy and it did absolutely nothing. No matter what we try... We can't touch him."

"Pym's working on something," Fury revealed, "He calls it a containment block. Says we should be able to keep this Living Laser inside there."

"Great, but how do we catch him?" Bobbi asked.

"We don't know," Ross said, "And, guess what, we're not supposed to know. You three are the soldiers. This is all on your god damn shoulders."

There was a pause before anything else was said. It was Fury clearing them out, "The three of you are excused." . With the coast clear, Director Fury eyed General Ross, not appreciating what transpired, "You know, I can handle my own people."

Ross scoffed, "Don't make me laugh, Nick. You're too soft. You treat soldiers like children and that'll be what you end up with; Children as soldiers."

Fury had a response for that, "You handle your job. Let me handle mine. Or did you forget that I'm your superior?"

Ross didn't like that last line one bit.

**:::San Francisco:::**

The site of the destruction. In fact, the exact same place where SHIELD Director Nick Fury stood and outed the organization to the entire world.

In the bright light of early morning, Obadiah Stane and Justin Hammer were visiting the wreckage area. It was mostly cleaned out, but there was still a lot of rebuilding and restoring left to do. There was also a bit of opportunity to take advantage of, as well. And, where there was opportunity, there surely would be one Justin Hammer.

"I'm telling you, Stane, we got this," Hammer acted in a comedic fashion for the people, "Putting together the resources of our two companies is going to make San Francisco better than New York City. In fact, yes, I'm calling it right now; Once we're finished with the restoration efforts and a few added bonuses, San Francisco will be the most beloved city in America, and not New York."

This was a Press-Conference of sorts. During the past few weeks, there was a rumor that these two men would be partnering up for a very special project. Lo and behold now, this special project was the San Francisco Restoration Effort. Conspicuous by his absence in all this was Tony Stark of the newly renamed Stark Resilient. Of course, that only made this all the sweeter for Stane and Hammer.

"I want to take the time to thank Justin Hammer right here and now," Stane said to the Press, "It was his idea for the two of us to team-up. It was his genius that gave us the idea to create a city better than New York City. It was all..."

**:::Stark Tower:::**

All right, just about enough of that.

The television was turned off in Tony's lab courtesy of Vision, upon Tony's request. Truth be told, Stark was in rough shape and listening to two morons gloating and outright lying was beating him down even more than he already was. Though, to be honest, just seeing where his battle with that giant robot happened was more than enough to provide him pain. He couldn't help but wonder... If he hadn't created Iron Man, would there have been any trouble in the first place?

Tony sighed before taking a sip of his drink. It was all his fault. Everything. Fin Fang Foom, Whiplash, Ultimo. It all happened because Iron Man happened. There was no denying it, no avoiding it. All him. And, it was damn near crippling him. Drinking helped. Drinking a lot helped more. And drinking almost to the point of drowning was just about a friggin' wonder drug by this point. See, it was pretty difficult to numb your brain when it was spread throughout your entire body.

Tony sat back in his chair with a grunt, patting his chest-core, looking at scraps of materials that he had planned to put to good use. Too bad those plans were made before San Francisco met its demise. Too bad this world was better off without Iron Man, and without Tony Stark. If he had the energy to put forth the effort, he probably would have chosen to kill himself.

That may have been a bit over-dramatic, though.

Tony let go of one last sigh before sitting back into the chair, slumping down and closing his eyes. Time to escape again. Time to go on vacation again. Time to...

_Stark Tower wasn't Stark Tower yet, and Tony Stark was just a little boy hopelessly following his father around like a shadow. Roughly another few months and construction would be finished on what Howard Stark Jr. envisioned as the shining beacon of Stark Industries._

_"Don't you think it would be a good idea?" Tony asked his father, following him around the construction site, both wearing hardhats._

_"I suppose," Howard wasn't really listening to his son, just humoring him. It was obvious to see just by looking at him that the older Stark wasn't in the best of health._

_"You're not listening," Tony frowned._

_Howard huffed, turning around, "I'm just busy, Tony. There's a lot of work to do."_

_"For them," Tony pointed to the working men, "Not you. You're the brains, not the brawn."_

_"You shouldn't be out in this hot sun so much, anyway," Howard reminded his boy, "You know the gel doesn't endure heat very well."_

_The gel. It was like a coating of a second skin. Something developed by Howard to help the constant pain Tony felt due to having neural tissue spread throughout his entire body. It wasn't a final solution. But, it was the best and most suitable that Howard could devise. Perhaps, if his health had not been failing him as of late, he could have designed a substitute._

_"We should come up with something better that doesn't wear off," Tony commented innocently._

_Howard's patience was thin and his fuse excruciatingly short these days, "Don't you think I've tried? Jesus, Tony, you have ten times more brain tissue than any other living being, so there's no excuse for being dumb."_

_Tony stopped following his dad, eyes going to the floor, voice no higher than a whisper, "I'm sorry."_

"I cannot believe you!"

Tony was awakened with a start by one Pepper Potts. She was in the lab, the expression on her face displaying a mix of anger and frustration. She wasn't happy with Tony at all, and very much not afraid to show it. For the moment, Tony was unaware of what had riled his assistant up like this, but he was certain he was about to learn...

"Unbelievable, Tony," she said, "You finally have yourself a girlfriend worth having and you break up with her?"

Ah, yes... Last night, Tony had decided to break-up with his girlfriend, Whitney Frost. Wasn't anything she did, he just didn't want anything serious for now. Rolling around with loose women in his bed - preferably more than one at a time - was much more to his liking these days. Therefore, he didn't supply Pepper with a response other than reaching for his drink and putting his lips to the glass.

Pepper shook her head in disgust, "She really cared about you, Tony. Loved you, even. And, I know somewhere deep down in that heart that probably pumping with booze now... You felt the same way. You're really screwing up big time. If I were you, I'd be in damage control mode right now."

"My life, my rules," Tony shrugged nonchalantly.

"You're self destructing at an impossible rate," she laid it out for him, "Whether or not the world needs Iron Man is up for debate, okay. But... There's absolutely zero denying that this world needs Tony Stark. You can't just shut down. Especially when Obadiah and Justin Hammer are chomping at the bit to capitalize. Especially when SHIELD can't even capture one villain."

"Trust me, the world's better off with one less screw-up," he said, pointing at Pepper through a drunken haze.

"It pains me to say this," Pepper almost had tears in her eyes, "But, you're pathetic."

"Piss off," he was in no mood, tossing his glass over Pepper's head, hearing it shatter against the wall behind her.

**:::Limousine:::**

Definitely a productive day.

Feeling rather good about themselves, Obadiah Stane and Justin Hammer were leaving San Francisco to the nearest Airport, sharing a limousine.

"This it it," Hammer claimed as he fiddled with his cell phone, "We're finally gonna bury Stark. And, the best part about it is we're playing his game while doing it. The ultimate humiliation."

"Rumor has it Tony's reverted back to old habits," Stane referred to the drinking problem, "He was spotted a few nights ago driving recklessly and cussing out reporters. The ball's certainly in our hands now."

Hammer laughed, "Stark Resilient, my a... What in the world?"

"Hmm?"

"Damn phone is acting up," Hammer punched different keys, "Must be a dead spot or something stupid."

Then came a hollow voice, "Not something stupid."

Where did that voice come from? With Stane and Hammer both locked in confusion, the phone all but jumped out of Justin's hand, leaving a nasty shock and spark in the process. Then the glass separating the backseat and front-seat shattered, revealing that there was no drive behind the wheel. Following that discovery, the doors were all locked and windows rolled up.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell's going on here, Hammer?" Obadiah barked.

"Does it look like I have any god damn clue?"

"Let me enlighten," the voice as the limousine came to a screeching halt, "I am a product of your combined lust for power."

A horrifying situation made all the worse by the simple fact that the limousine was stopped right in the middle of traffic, a load of angry drivers impatiently beeping their horns, needing to get wherever it was that they were going.

"Who or what are you?" Hammer asked with fear in his voice.

"What I just said!" the voice growled, sending a jolt of electricity through Hammer's body, "I can see you listen just as poorly as you always have."

Justin tried to recover from the jolt his body had endured, his skin tingled, heart raced, "Okay, okay. You need to be a little more specific."

"I don't need to be anything," it said, "I'm the one with all the power here."

Scaring the life out of Obadiah and Hammer, a figured formed in front of them. It consisted solely of yellow energy, with narrow black eyes. All that there was was a head, accompanied by what looked like two horns, more than likely to induce all the more fear into his victims...

"We're going somewhere to have a long talk," it explained in that voice it had, "Maybe then you will realize just how dire this situation is."

"I want out," Obadiah shouted in desperation, "I don't know what this is, but it has nothing to do with me!"

The head tilted toward Obadiah, "You're just as guilty."

"This is bizarre, this is wacked out, you're not going to get away with kidnapping us," Hammer said.

The vehicle finally started moving forward again.

"You two are finally going to feel all the pain you've caused over the years," it said, "All in one motion."

**:::Somewhere in the United States:::**

A back alley somewhere quiet and secure.

He called himself Unicorn. He wore an advanced body suit and mask, which would shoot a single red beam of energy when he felt compelled. He belonged to the Maggia, and was one of Count Nefaria's most loyal of followers. Had been for quite some time, even before he received the technologically advanced upgrade courtesy of stolen Stark Tech.

Unicorn was flanked at either side by Maggia Men, all wearing the faceless white masks, as well as holding weapons. A very special and important meeting was to take place on this night. Count Nefaria had struck a deal with a Black-Ops program out of Russia known in secret as The Black Widow Program. For an obscene amount of money and future resources when needed, the Operator of the program, Ivan Petrovich, would lend out his greatest and most lethal Black Widow...

"Natasha Romanova, I presume?" Unicorn sneered, the only visible piece of his face being his mouth, which was twisted in a satisfied grin. Rumor had it that this young woman was hot. But, damn, they didn't say she could give the sun a run for its money.

Natasha Romanova was a product of the Black Widow Program. She was Russian, but could speak fluently in over two dozen languages. Her fiery red hair was fitting considering her thirst for blood. Her features were flawless, from skin tone to body type, to those sexy eyes and lips. Unlike Unicorn, Natasha didn't feel the need to be supported by thugs. She was more than capable of taking care of herself when needed to do so.

Natasha nodded her head in regards to Unicorn wanting confirmation of her identity.

"You ready for this?" Unicorn asked, his eyes running down the length of Natasha's body, then back up again where he found a gun aimed right between his eyes.

"Are you ready to stop staring at my body?" Natasha asked with her Russian roots in her accent, "I don't respond well to such absurdity."

"Hey, hey," Unicorn put his hands up, palms open, "It's just business."

"It better be," she warned, "Or the entire Maggia will die by my hands before they realize what it is that is happening."

Unicorn gulped, as did every other member standing behind him.

The Black Widow.

_**:::::ZeroBen's Invincible Iron Man:::::**_

_We're finally back. Hopefully the return is enjoyable. A lot of villains are introduced here, perhaps too many, but it's all part of the plan. After San Francisco and Ultimo, Tony's given up being Iron Man. For him to come back, there has to be a threat that only he can take care of. Of course, the title of the arc is an homage to the classic Superman story._


End file.
